Love Thy Enemy
by Drake Clawfang
Summary: Inu/Kag, AU. Two formers lovers, turned to enemies when the Miko and the Youkai revive their age-old blood war. Each day brings a new battle, and each battle comes closer to revealing an ancient and powerful secret that could unravel the fate of the races
1. Chapter 1

Love Thy Enemy

Chapter 1

Sparks flashed as steel met steel, and with a blast of pink energy into the blade, Inuyasha snarled as he was pushed back, his boots digging into the concrete warehouse floor. He sunk down to his knees, his black uniform sticking to his skin from sweat. Damn it. This was supposed to be a simple pick-up. He wasn't expecting _her_ to be here.

"Having trouble Inu-chan?" his opponent taunted, clicking the two blades of her weapon together and twirling the combined dual-blade over her head. Her long black hair spun in the wake of her move. Inuyasha smirked. Combined with the light blue blouse and black skirt of the mikos, she was an unearthly picture of beauty. Some things never changed.

"Having fun," he corrected, charging. The woman just smiled and let him reach her before deflecting the Tetsusaiga aimed at her shoulder. Inuyasha silently cursed the woman began her counter-attack, twirling and flipping the twin blades effortlessly to keep him on the defence. The twin-sword had a name, he was sure, it was a miko weapon and those things always had names, but he didn't know. For sure it had be strong, if it could stand up to repeated duels with him and the Tetsusaiga and avoid being broken.

He parried a blade, ducked and tried a thrust towards her gut. She jumped back, narrowly avoiding being skewered, and as she brought her weapon back the blade drew a slash across Inuyasha's shoulder. The red fire-rat cloak he wore in battle tore under the holy weapon, and it would repair itself with a day or so but the wound still hurt, literally; a bright red band of crimson blood had been sliced into his shoulder underneath the fire-rat and white T-shirt he wore beneath.

"Gotcha," his opponent smirked, clicking her blades back apart and taking one in each hand. Inuyasha winced at the slow burn in his shoulder from the purity, but ignored it and struck. The woman's eyes widened in delight as he forced her back, twin blades blocking the Tetsusaiga but barely. The two kodachi blades that composed the weapon were hardly a match one-on-one for a sword the size of Tetsusaiga, but he had only one weapon and she had two. He gasped as a thought came to him, and he slashed. She swung her left sword out to deflect Tetsusaiga, and his other hand came up to slam into her wrist. She cried out at the surprise blow and he flipped the Tetsusaiga in the air, satisfied to hear a metallic clang somewhere behind him.

"Gotcha back," he taunted. The woman grinned and shifted her remaining sword into her right hand. Steel met steel, and she aimed a punch for his head. Inuyasha caught it and twisted her around, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her against his chest with her arms crossed and underneath his. She turned her head to glare at him, and Inuyasha pushed away the memories of the last time he remembered their faces being this close. He inhaled against his will and caught the smell of her ebony hair. Fresh strawberries. How the hell did she still manage to smell so good in the heat of battle, he always ended each of his missions smelling of sweat.

"Fucker," she hissed, squirming in his grasp to get away.

"Now what?" Inuyasha sneered, ignoring the delightful sensations her movements were causing. She narrowed her eyes more, and then grinned. Before Inuyasha knew what was happening, she pushed her head up and kissed him.

By the gods, how long had it been since he'd had her like this? Soft lips massaged his own, and Inuyasha felt something wet and warm brush his lips. He let out a low moan, and her eyes shot open.

Inuyasha tore his head back in a yowl as an elbow drove itself into his chest; in his bliss he had loosened his grip on her. She twisted away and grabbed his arm, flipping him and slamming him into the ground, Tetsusaiga sliding away. Inuyasha grunted as the back of his head met concrete, and he growled and started to climb back up. A boot to the chest kicked him back down, and he glared up at her as she casually stood over him, dangling her sword over his chest by the handle. She lifted her other free hand and wagged a finger at him.

"Tch, lucky bitch," he snapped. She stepped back, kicking him back down against when he tried to get up.

"Horny bastard," she replied, shifting her grip on the sword. Her boot likewise came back up to rest gently on his groin. Inuyasha grimaced. "Can't damage _that, _can I?" she teased. She gently ran the tip of her blade along the front of Inuyasha's robe, and he hissed as it smoked and gently burnt in the path of pink energy the sword left behind. The tip pushed the two halves of it away, and she licked her lips at the sight of his bare chest. "Nice."

"Inuyasha!" sets of silver and black hair whirled as the door to the warehouse opened. Inuyasha groaned; Sesshomaru's fucking escorts were back. Just in time. She cursed and sheathed her sword. Just when she was starting to have fun...

"Enjoyed the view, but gotta go. It was fun," she grunted. She looked down and blew him a kiss. "Miss me, Inu-chan," Inuyasha began climbing to his feet as she turned and ran to the other end of the warehouse, stooping to pick up her lost second blade on the way.

"Fuck," he groaned, looking down at the slightly glowing wound on his shoulder. "Fuck fuck fuck…"

- - - - - - - - - -

"FUCK!" Inuyasha's eyes snapped open and he yelped as the medical officer peered down at his shoulder and poked it with the tip of a pair of surgical scissors. He didn't know why the old coot had the position, but he did it well enough. But he was a surgeon and a doctor, wouldn't he know better than to poke fresh miko wounds?

"Ah, quit yer whining, its only a flesh wound," Totosai scolded, whacking the hanyou in the head. Inuyasha turned his head on the table, glaring at him.

"She sliced me with a miko weapon! That fucking purity is still tingling," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Bah, you can walk it off," Totosai replied, cutting a length of surgical tape and placing a strip of cloth with youkai-strength painkiller on it over the slash. "It was a miko weapon so it'll take longer to heal than usual while your system fights off the purification, but you'll be fine in a couple days." He taped down the cloth with the surgical tape as he spoke.

"Whatever, thanks for nothing," Inuyasha said, sitting up on the table and hopping down.

"Don't sass me," Totosai ordered, slapping the hanyou's shoulder hard. Inuyasha yelped in pain again. "Anyway, I've been told to have you leave your clothes with the armory once you're done, they'll fix up the fire-rat fur. In the meantime, Sesshomaru wants your report."

"Yeah yeah yeah," Inuyasha groaned, picking up Tetsusaiga from the chair and marching out of the medical center.

The complex of the camp surrounded a large circular park with trees, ponds and an artificial river for the youkai who were old enough to crave the outdoor areas that the modern world didn't have readily accessible anymore. To the north was the medical bay and library, to the south was the barracks and training grounds, to the west was the officer's quarters for the grunts and other lower-ranked members. To the east was the commander post where the higher-up members of the youkai militia were stations. Inuyasha turned and headed across the grass, getting yelled at by an old racoon-youkai on the way for not respecting the foliage. Inuyasha marched up the white stone steps of the center and pushed its large doors open, heading for the front desk.

"Good morning, Inuyasha, how are you today?" Kagura asked dryly, stamping some piece of paper work and sliding it into a tray behind her.

"Great, until I was told I had to come here," he replied. "Sesshomaru wants a report?" As he spoke, Inuyasha leaned over against the edge of the wall on the desk. He turned his head to see a thick stack of forms and picked up the top one. "What's this?"

"Careful!" Kagura snapped, snatching the form and putting it back. "Those are the weapon and armor requirements for the new cadets and I spent three hours last night alphabetizing all four-hundred and twenty-two of them myself."

"Whatever," Inuyasha snorted. He had no love for Kagura, at least no more than he did for his brother. He didn't have or particularly care about the whole story. Promised, dating, fuck-buddies, the rumors said Kagura and Sesshomaru were all of the above at some time or another. All he knew is that they were still tight in a professional way with her as the receptionist of the headquarters and she did her job well. Sure, she was a bitch to him, but to be fair he was an ass to her. He didn't seem intent on changing, and neither did she. What was there to do?

"Where is he?" Inuyasha asked, looking around the lobby at two kitsune kits playing with a large ball half their size. He smirked at the toddlers, glad to see _someone_ having fun in the building.

"Main office, fifth floor. He's awaiting the arrival of a general from overseas while your father is off," Kagura supplied. Inuyasha nodded and walked towards the elevators. "So, heard you lost to her again!" Kagura called after him.

"Fuck you," Inuyasha growled.

"Lose again and it might slip to the cadets that you're getting beat by a girl," Kagura laughed, going back to her paperwork. Inuyasha stopped and looked to his left as the two kitsunes chased their ball across the lobby. He stopped and picked it up, careful not to puncture it.

"Hey, can I borrow this?" he grinned. The left kitsune nodded, and Inuyasha looked up, measuring the angle of his shot. He took three steps left, and drew the ball over his shoulder. "Kagura!" he yelled, flinging the ball at her. Kagura looked up, cried out and ducked. The ball whipped over her head and smashed into the weapon and armory forms, sending them scattering across the floor and into the air. She looked at the paper floating through the air and screamed.

"Asshole!" she shrieked, getting up with all intent of maiming the hanyou who had thrown the ball. Inuyasha flipped her off as he walked into the elevator, door sliding closed behind him.

- - - - - - - - -

"Yes…he just walked in…I'll handle it." Sesshomaru finished his conversation and hung up the phone as Inuyasha pushed open the oak doors of his office, walking forward and sitting in one of the four chairs lined up in front of Sesshomaru's desk. "I have a new assignment for you," Sesshomaru said, clasping his hands together and leaning back.

"Really?" Inuyasha asked. This soon?

"Yes. Once our meeting is concluded you will return to the lobby and _re_-alphabetize all four hundred and twenty-two pieces of paperwork you carelessly scattered in your immature prank," Sesshomaru explained. "And if for any reason Kagura sees a need to cause you bodily harm during this process, that is up to her discretion."

"Whatever, the bitch had it coming," Inuyasha replied. If Kagura had spoken about what he had done, did she mention what she in turn had done to provoke him? Inuyasha didn't need Sesshomaru on his back about this again.

"I've already spoken with the four escorts I sent with you. Now, how did the shipment go?" Sesshomaru asked.

"The cargo was extracted safely into the vans, but as we were packing up three fucking mikos showed up. The escorts were taken out of the warehouse while I dealt with one of them inside. My opponent escaped, I'm not sure about the other two."

"I see," Sesshomaru said, studying his half-brother. "Anything else of interest?"

"The one I fought had a holy weapon, some sort of twin-bladed sword that could split into two swords," Inuyasha continued.

"The Naginata of Kenkon," Sesshomaru nodded.

"You've heard of it?" Inuyasha asked.

"It's one of the stronger and more versatile miko weapons, but it is not particularly exceptional," Sesshomaru replied. "What else?" Inuyasha growled. There was more?

"Uh…got a gash on my shoulder…my fire-rat was torn but they'll both repair themselves…got a bit of a headache thanks to the miko weapon she got me with…"

"And?" Sesshomaru pushed. Inuyasha glared.

"And I got a rash on my balls, wanna see?" he snapped. "Fuck Sess, there's nothing else!"

"I see," Sesshomaru murmured. "Very well, you may go." Inuyasha nodded and stood up as Sesshomaru turned to his computer and began typing. Inuyasha's claw wrapped around the doorknob and he began to turn.

"So how did Kagome beat you this time?"

Inuyasha's shoulders slumped. Figures. He turned and obediently marched back to his seat and sat down under Sesshomaru's molten gaze.

"Well?" the youkai muttered. Inuyasha's face screwed up.

"I had her Sess, I fucking had her!" he raged. "She only had the one weapon, she attacked, I got her wrapped up against me with her arms pinned…"

"Only you would deliberately get that woman in such a position," Sesshomaru stated. Inuyasha glared.

"She was stuck, I had her _right there_, helpless and I could have…and she kissed me."

"Kissed you?" Sesshomaru asked, raising a thin eyebrow. That he had not been expecting.

"Yeah, and I…ya know, and she elbows me and slams me to the ground. And then she starts slicing my shirt apart and drooling over me with her boot on my dick."

"How disturbing," Sesshomaru snorted, genuinely appalled. "And yet not surprising, as per usual around that woman you started thinking with the wrong head."

"Fuck you," Inuyasha groaned. "I know, alright, I let her get to me."

"You always let her get to you, this is the third time is as many mouths you've faced her and she's defeated you again!" Sesshomaru roared. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is for me, for father, for you to keep getting bested by a miko because you can't stop thinking about getting your hands down her pants?!"

"You know what she is to me Sess, shut the hell up! Are you telling me you wouldn't have trouble fighting Kagura if she kept looking at you like a piece of meat?"

"My relationship with Kagura on a romantic level is no longer existent, and that is a different matter," Sesshomaru grated. "Kagura is a youkai, Kagome Higurashi is a miko, the enemy, the scourge of our kind. The very type of being we are waging war against! I know what happened before the truce ended and I frankly don't care. When you're on a mission you stay focused and do what needs to be done. Do you honestly think she would pause to purify you if she had the upper hand?"

"Considering she has every time she's beaten me, yeah," Inuyasha nodded. It was true, no matter how many times Kagome got him on the ropes she either left or let him go. Why he wasn't sure but he was sure he didn't want to know. He had no desire to kill the woman unless it was needed, and so far it wasn't.

"And because she shows you mercy you in turn must show it to her?" Sesshomaru shook his head at his brother's naiveté. "And what of the other forty-three youkai she has purified, what of them? I suppose they should have paused too. Or perhaps they did which is how they were defeated."

"Screw you, you know shit," Inuyasha grumbled.

"I know you're letting your emotions get the better of you," Sesshomaru whispered. "I understand your reluctance to kill her, but the truce is over. Kagome is a miko, you are a hanyou and thus one of us, even if only half. The two of you are enemies now, you fight, and you'll fight until one of you kills the other, that's the way war works. Unless of course you wish to defect, in which case state so and I'll finish the job she started."

"Whatever," Inuyasha sighed. He had heard this lecture before and it didn't mean a thing to him. Sesshomaru just didn't get it, how could he. "Can I go?" Sesshomaru sat back and thought for a moment.

"Return to your quarters and focus on healing. Return in two days when your strength has returned and I shall have another assignment for you. I also advise you use that time to clear your head." Inuyasha nodded and turned to leave. He once again reached the door. "Inuyasha," Sesshomaru called. He rolled his eyes and turned.

"Now what?" he snapped. Sesshomaru stared at him.

"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned," he recited. Inuyasha snorted.

"Well unfortunately for me I'm dealing with both," he replied, leaving the office.

**That iconic "woman scorned" line is quoted from the 1697 play "The Mourning Bride" by William Congreve.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I decided to give an early update. I have a great feeling about this story and wanted to get Chapter 2 up quickly, so here you are!** **Through a combination of research on Wikipedia, watching the anime, and facts provided by fellow author Fenikkusuken, I've got a couple errors to clear up over Kagome's weapon.**

**The weapon Kagome uses, I had previously identified as the Naginata of Kenkon and described as a dual-bladed sword that split into two longswords. I was wrong on all counts. First, the anime depiction of the Naginata has the blades much shorter and the handles much longer than a dual-bladed sword. Also, although they can be designed with two blades, actual naginatas have more in common design-wise with spears instead of swords and have only one blade.**

**So, in closing, the anime depiction of the Naginata wasn't a true naginata, and my description of it wasn't accurate either. For the purpose of maintaining a sense of canon, the weapon will be referred to be name, but its description in the first chapter has been altered slightly to reflect more accurately its appearance as I'm picturing it.**

**But, semantics of weapon names aside, the weapon functions the same as a two-bladed sword that can be split and wielded as two single blades. These two single blades, regardless of how they appeared in the anime, are more similar in my story to kodachi than longswords. Kodachi are typically 24 inches long (your average longsword is 36) and thus, if two kodachi joined at the handles to become a dual-bladed sword, it would be a fairly usable weapon. This is the version of the Naginata of Kenkon that my Kagome uses.**

**And for the record, the Naginata is a demonic weapon in the anime, not a sacred one.**

Love Thy Enemy

Chapter 2

Soft moans and mewls filled the room as he writhed beneath her, his gorgeous face drawn tight in an expression of shameless pleasure. She took in every glorious inch of the sight, revelling in the fact she was the one who had given him such sensations. She ground against him, lips drawn back in a smile as he surged beneath her, calling out her name.

"Kagome…Kagome!"

"Kagome!"

Kagome's eyes popped open and blinked rapidly as the husky, masculine voice she remembered became softer and higher pitched. She sat up and squinted as a loud pounding filled her quarters. Her vision cleared and she groaned. Damn. Back in her room. Again.

"Kagome, are you awake yet, you were due to report to the training center an hour ago!" the voice on the other side of her door yelled. Kagome lifted her eyebrows and yawned, wiping a hand down her face and collecting a thin sheen of sweat.

"Yeah, I'm awake," she replied, flopping back against the pillow. "Just…had a bad dream." Well, it would have been bad if she graded it on a curve compared to the others…

"Well let me in, the commander wants me to talk to you," the voice ordered. Kagome sighed and stood up, grabbing her academy-issue robe from the chair by her bed and tying it around her half-nude body. She hadn't bothered to undress properly when she had come back from her mission just two hours before dawn, fatigue caught up with her and she just tossed her skirt onto the chair before collapsing on the mattress. Her commander wouldn't be pleased with such frivolous treatment of her uniform, but that was why she kept her door locked. She slid the bolt back and opened it.

"Oh. It's you," she muttered, stepping back. Kikyo Itoshi followed her fellow miko into the room, casting a disinterested glance about the room. The mikos were allowed to decorate their personal quarters with personal items, provided there was room. While the lower-ranked cadets got a single bunk in a room of twenty-four, higher-ranking mikos got their own rooms. Kagome's wasn't exceptionally spacious, but it was large enough for a standard-issue desk, bed and exercise area with mat. There was also a small balcony. A television, computer or other recreational items were allowed, provided she could acquire them. Considering that soldiers didn't get paid much, they also didn't get access to such luxuries often.

"Don't sound too happy to speak to me," Kikyo said dryly.

"No problem," Kagome shot back, lying back in her bed. She hated being a soldier sometimes, the honors and the fame and the little extras here and there were nice, but she never got to sleep in. She preferred it back when the truce was still in effect. For more than one reason…

"If the battle this morning was too much for you, you should have put in a request for a change of duty while you rested," Kikyo continued. "When one soldier fails their duty, the rest suffer."

"I'll just have to find a way to live with that guilt," Kagome sighed, staring at the ceiling. She knew Kikyo was right, the fight last night took a larger toll on her than she would have liked. Sure she had won, but she had to work hard for that victory. Inuyasha wasn't the bumbling swordsman waving around an overgrown fang like he was when she had first met him.

_"The war has changed him. It's changed all of us," _she thought darkly, not sure how much she liked that information. She herself didn't know how the war started, she had made a mental note to ask her superiors but never got around to it. All she knew was that at some point, someone had drawn a line in the sand between the two miko and the youkai and little by little people drifted to one side or the other until one day the two began their fight. The majority of the humans didn't fight, sure many joined but most sided with the mikos for protection, and because they were at least human. The human cities were sometimes aligned, there were cities that sided with the youkai and others with the mikos. The neutral cities were just that. Under their laws, youkai and miko alike were not allowed to fight there, both could come and go as they pleased with proper clearance with the authorities but if either of the two met, any sort of fighting was prohibited. The two sides had an unspoken agreement to respect this neutrality and keep their fighting away from the cities – neither wanted to risk pissing off someone in power there and shifting their allegiance to the other side. Cities meant resources of new recruits, food and supplies. Better for a city to be neutral than an enemy.

Kagome felt sorry for the humans. They were the pawns in the war, the mikos and the youkai fighting an ancient war that normal mortals couldn't understand. The legacy of their ancient grudge traced back centuries. The old ways were still honoured but in time the two sides agreed to co-exist as holy and demonic powers waned and the time of the miko and the youkai ended. The last Kagome had heard the truce had begun sometime in the 1800s, but one hundred years was nothing to a war that had waged for a millennium and more. Some time ago the truce ended, youkai and miko split apart from the humans once again and war began. It wasn't war like the human wars, conducted across battlefields. The miko and youkai were simply too few in number compared to the humans to mindlessly send troops into battle.

This war was a quiet one, the battles small. The Elders had said they could not approve of a full-scale war in this modern era, the risk of the miko bloodline vanishing was too great, even if they won. Kagome thought it was a load of bullshit. Whoever had drawn that line in the sand, she wanted to meet them. As far as she could tell all that was driving the war was mindless devotion to a cause that most of the mikos didn't even fully understand, herself included.

"I was informed of your mission last night, or this morning, whichever term you consider more correct," Kikyo said, walking out on Kagome's balcony overlooking the rooftop training area of the next building.

"Oh?" Kagome replied, pulling another uniform-issue blouse and skirt from her dresser. She had some half a dozen of each. In the lower drawers were her civilian clothes from the truce. Officially, one had to remain in uniform at all times unless otherwise cleared, such as an undercover ops mission. But the higher-ups had better things to do with their time than to police fashion. As long as one didn't make a habit of it, getting away with casual clothes now and then was possible, although it was still frowned upon. Kagome sighed and began to dress, making sure Kikyo's back was turned. Although she would never speak to the older girl's face about it, the Eldere seemed to have a lot of pointless rules about the state of the war.

"You fought Inuyasha again," Kikyo nodded. "I shall assume you won."

"Naturally," Kagome agreed, zipping up her skirt. "He's kept up his training though, I had a harder time beating him than before. Still, that's good. All the better to keep me on my toes."

"Ah, so you're interested in the hanyou keeping you on your _toes_," Kikyo observed. "I had heard it was rather your back, you wanted him to get you on." Kagome frowned at the roundabout remark and took a moment to decipher it. When that was done, she wasn't pleased.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she glared, pulling her blouse sleeves up her arms.

"I merely state what has been said by others," Kikyo defended. "The Elders have brought up your name recently. Ever since you joined our ranks you have progressed up them smoothly. Your archery and swordplay skills are both admirable and you're developing your holy powers at a slow but nonetheless respectable rate. You're respectful, punctual and carry out your orders with great success."

"So what the hell's the problem?" Kagome muttered, looking in the mirror over her dresser and grabbing a hairbrush.

"There have been…doubts, over your loyalty," Kikyo explained. "The Elders have noted you have fought Inuyasha thrice in the past three months, and several times before that."

"So?"

"We are also aware that you report a victory every time and these claims have been upheld by witnesses. So, the problem, Kagome, is why with your many victories over him, you haven't purified him yet." Kagome stopped in the process of her brushing and turned her eyes to watch Kikyo.

"Just…haven't, I guess," she mumbled.

"Beg pardon? I couldn't quite hear that," Kikyo frowned, looking over her shoulder.

"I haven't," Kagome repeated, louder. "That's why."

"That answer isn't enough for me, do you think it will be enough for the Elders?" Kikyo scoffed. "Better to tell the truth, Kagome, than a lie and be caught in it."

"Fine, you want the truth?" Kagome snapped, annoyed. "I haven't fucking purified the fucking hanyou because I don't _fucking_ want to."

"Ah," Kikyo nodded, turning her head back. "When I explain that to the Elders, you'll understand if I feel the need to paraphrase that explanation somewhat."

"You do that," Kagome rolled her eyes, going back to brushing her hair. Kikyo made a small sound in her throat. Kagome scowled as she finished. "Hey, you got something to say then say it!" she said. Kikyo was silent for a moment.

"Very well," she said after a moment. "I do not place you at fault for sparing Inuyasha. I know your past with him."

"And I'm expected to just walk away from that?" Kagome asked, joining the other miko on the balcony. The sun was hot that day, good, the last few days had been chilly.

"Of course not. You're a miko, and a human being. You have compassion and sympathy. I personally encourage the expression of such traits, they are what separate us from the youkai," Kikyo replied. "Still, his death would be a great blow to the morale of the youkai. His father Toga is one of their most highly decorated commanders. Infamous though you are, the youkai would outright hate you if you dispatched the son of their leader, even if he is a hanyou."

"Well that's something everyone wants to be; hated," Kagome muttered.

"I didn't mean it like that," Kikyo defended.

"Of course you did. All the top soldiers in our army are hated by the youkai, and some by the humans because of the bloodthirsty and archaic image the damn media is giving us," Kagome insisted. "To be truly successful in this force you have to slaughter youkai. Their hatred is just another badge of honor to us."

"That's a rather cynical way of looking at it," Kikyo said, turning her head to look at her. "You know as well as I do there are other highly valued members of our force that do not fight in the field."

"Yeah, sure," Kagome scoffed. Kikyo was silent. The two had never gotten along. Kagome wasn't really sure why. By her own account, Kikyo was a long-time studier of the miko traditions and was one of the first to rally to their cause. She was nice enough, if a stickler for order and rule. Something about her just didn't go over with Kagome, and while she didn't hate Kikyo, being nice to her wasn't a high priority. Kikyo knew that and she didn't particularly seem to care.

"I simply am thinking of what is best for our kind. And you should do the same," Kikyo sighed. "Past or no, you need to stay focused and do what needs to be done."

"Yeah yeah yeah," Kagome huffed. "You gonna lecture me all day?" Kikyo lifted her eyebrows and turned away.

"No. I will be filling in as teacher today for the cadets. You rest and sort out your emotions," she said. Kagome rolled her eyes as Kikyo left. Kikyo paused at the door to look back.

"The next time you face him, at least come back with another win, if you will not kill him," she called. Kagome smirked.

"I assure you, Kikyo. Nothing would please me more than to watch Inuyasha squirming beneath me," she said coyly. Kikyo grimaced and left the room. Kagome caught her expression as she left and fell back on the bed. Well, regardless of how Kikyo interpreted that, either way she had told the truth.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Sounded like she chewed you out again," Tsubaki observed as Kikyo closed the door to Kagome's room.

"You were listening?" Kikyo asked, not turning her head to acknowledge her fellow miko. Tsubaki was a lower-ranked miko, below her and Kagome. She was skilled with curses and spells and almost never ventured into the field unless the Elders suspected the work of a dark miko or a witch. Tsubaki was neither, but she dabbled in such arts slightly so as to be aware of how to overcome them. The Elders approved this and so Kikyo accepted her, but the line between dark and holy spiritual power was one she didn't care to tiptoe back and forth over. Tsubaki practically lived on that line itself.

"Naturally. I find it amazing how she gets away with speaking to you when you would report any other miko for using half the words she used," Tsubaki chuckled. Kikyo started walking down the hall, and the white-haired woman followed behind her.

"Kagome has a good heart. That's the problem," Kikyo explained.

"Ah. Too pure even to kill youkai huh? Pitiful," Tsubaki snorted.

"No, she has forty-seven recorded kills. She's an excellent archer and also does well in hand to hand combat," Kikyo corrected. "The Elders even gave her one of the holy weapons from their sanctum."

"So what's the problem if she's killing youkai?" Tsubaki asked.

"The problem is there's one youkai in particular she's going out of her way to _not_ kill."

"Ah yes, Inuyasha…what's his last name again? Taisho?"

"I am not sure. As far as I am aware the youkai dropped the convention of given names during the war. They know each other by scent and name well enough without them," Kikyo shrugged. Given names were just one of many human customs the youkai had adopted over time since the truce centuries ago. The symbolic abandonment of such customs was done during the war to any youkai who joined. Just another way the youkai demonstrated how different they truly were. At least the miko were still human.

"Hm. So will she kill Inuyasha next time?" Tsubaki asked, watching as Kikyo pressed the elevator.

"I doubt it. If she had a choice I think she would rather have sex with him," she sighed.

"Duh, who wouldn't?" Tsubaki laughed. Kikyo gave her a strange look. "I've seen pictures of him," Tsubaki shrugged, as if that explained it. Kikyo made a small noise in her throat as the elevator door slid to the side, and the two mikos stepped inside. "So if she won't kill him, what's going to happen?"

"As long as she continues to complete her missions properly the Elders have decided to avoid action," Kikyo said. "It is only when her emotions for him begin to interfere with her work that we'll have to review the situation and consider intervention."

"Well so far she's doing fine from what I got. She failed to intercept the delivery last night, but I heard the two mikos that went with her and they testified they had arrived too late to stop it anyway."

"Yes. And she stayed to fight. Kagome is perfectly willing to fight Inuyasha. It is the killing blow she refuses to deliver."

"Well you can't make her kill him," Tsubaki pointed out.

"True," Kikyo admitted, stepping out of the elevator as it opened on the ground floor. "All we can do is try to convince her that his death is a necessity to our cause and hope she realizes how she is making herself look."

"And you think that'll happen?"

"No."

"Me neither," Tsubaki nodded. "So, I'm assuming you need a substitute for the cadet training since she stayed in her room?"

"Yes, I will be covering her duties," Kikyo replied. "I will fall behind on paperwork regarding the wards for one of our allied cities, but there is nothing to be done for it."

"Ah. In that case I leave you, madam miko," Tsubaki saluted, the gesture more of an insult to the higher-ranking miko than a sign of respect. Kikyo let it slide and headed for the north-east door to the training grounds while Tsubaki walked off who-knew where to find something to occupy herself.


	3. Chapter 3

Love Thy Enemy

Chapter 3

"You know if you're too weak to be up and walking you should lay down, I could bring you your meals. Course it would be cold since I'd take my time…"

"Fuck you Kouga," Inuyasha growled, massaging his shoulder through the white cotton of his shirt. "It was just a twinge, alright. I'm fine." Kouga smirked and looked away as the hanyou picked the Tetsusaiga back up from the floor of the training room and cracked his neck.

"She really did get you good didn't she?" Kouga asked seriously. Inuyasha looked down at his shoulder. According to the armory his fire-rat had been repaired and would be ready for him tomorrow when Sesshomaru gave him his next assignment. His wound had closed but was still subject to infrequent bouts of pain from the lingering purity power.

"Forget it, let's get on with it!" Inuyasha snapped, holding out the Tetsusaiga.

"Well then," Kouga smirked, beckoning him forward, "come on." Inuyasha nodded and charged, swinging and missing as Kouga leapt back. He briefly touched his feet to the wall and kicked off, spinning his leg forward. Inuyasha backflipped out of the way and raised the Tetsusaiga to block another kick. Kouga reversed the direction to kick with the other foot, catching Inuyasha offguard. The hanyou's head snapped right, and he kept turning, swinging Tetsusaiga out. Kouga cried out as the flat of the blade hit in him in the hip, sending him flipping into the wall.

"Holy shit," Kouga grunted, rubbing the back of his head. "I did not see that coming."

"So I figured," Inuyasha replied, sheathing Tetsusaiga. "Caught you off your guard huh?"

"You got lucky ya dumb mutt!" Inuyasha turned at the voice. A short teenager with an unruly mop of crimson curls smirked at him from beside the door to the room, arms crossed and eyes twinkling. In the doorway was a younger girl in a yellow skirt with a white T-shirt giggling to herself.

"Fuck off Shippo!" Inuyasha grumbled.

"Watch the mouth, there's a lady present," Shippo said mockingly, wagging a finger. Inuyasha rolled his eyes but lifted his hand in a half-hearted wave.

"Hey Rin," he called.

"Hi," Rin smiled, waving shyly.

"How long have you rugrats been watching?" Kouga asked, standing behind Inuyasha.

"Hey, the cut-off limit for being a rugrat is ten years old, and we're way past that," Shippo protested.

"I'm two hundred and thirty-seven years old kid, you're only thirty-six. So you'll always be a rugrat to me," Kouga snickered. "The cut-off age for rugrats for youkai is a century old, depending on your species."

"So does that mean Inuyasha is a rugrat too?"

"Hey!"

"Nah, he's just a puppy now."

"Fuck off wolf."

Shippo and Kouga shared a grin as Inuyasha bristled. Rin was making herself busy inspecting the blunted training weapons in the racks by the wall.

"Fuck that, I'm still older than you ya little twerp," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Yeah, that just means you're not a rugrat to Kouga but you're an old man to me," Rin giggled, swinging a kendo stick through the air.

"Hey, be careful with that, you get hurt and Sesshomaru will have our asses," Inuyasha warned. Rin shrugged and slid the weapon back, picking up a wooden spear with a plastic head. Rin was one of the very few humans allowed to wander the grounds as she wished, but she mostly stuck near Shippo. She was officially under Sesshomaru's care until he found a human city that took in war refugees, and since he lived and worked at the camp, she had to stay on the grounds.

"So did you come here just to bug us or there some other reason we're putting up with you?" Kouga asked.

"Yeah yeah, Kagura said there's some foreign guy to see you Kouga, Ban Coat Smoke or something," Shippo shrugged.

"Bankotsu?" Kouga asked dryly.

"That sounds about right," Shippo nodded. "He's in your office."

"Whatever, I'll be there in a few. Get outta here so I can finish kicking the puppy's ass in peace."

"You wish," Inuyasha growled, glaring. Kouga smirked. The two of them had maintained a sort of friendly rivalry for the last few decades. Inuyasha wasn't entirely sure what it was about Kouga that got to him. Maybe it was some latent inu-instinct towards other canines, he had no clue. Kouga was nice enough, they were almost friends at times, but something about him just made him snarl. Shippo…well he was just a brat, being a kitsune Inuyasha figured it was just in his nature.

"Later," Shippo shrugged, ducking out of the room.

"Bye," Rin waved, jogging after him.

"Keep yourself clean kid," Inuyasha called after her. The two teenagers gone, Kouga rolled his eyes.

"What's she still doing around here anyway, I thought Sesshomaru was trying to find a human city to take her," he muttered.

"Yeah, but she's a refugee, most of the cities are shying away from taking them in because of some political shit," Inuyasha explained. Kouga snorted. Rin – they didn't know her last name – had come to them only three years ago, found by a koumori youkai at the now abandoned home of what had once been a meeting place for youkai sympathizers. By Tsukuyomaru's own horrified testimony, the once luxurious estate had been nearly burned to the ground by dark miko energy and the people inside, at least several dozen, had been slaughtered. Rin had been found half-dead and covered in blood, hers and those of her companions, in the dining room.

After nursing her back to health and having to convince her to speak again, Rin, then only twelve years old, had latched onto Sesshomaru's arm during one of his visits to the infirmary. To Inuyasha's surprise his elder brother did nothing more than quietly command her to let go, and she listened. Since then, Sesshomaru had taken over her guardianship while he attempted to find a human city willing to take in a girl orphaned by the hands of the miko. So far, it wasn't going well. But Rin had adjusted quickly enough and once she realized Sesshomaru wasn't around all the time she attached herself to Shippo and he agreed to look out for her with a bemused expression on his face. Inuyasha rarely saw the two of them without the other anymore.

"Sesshomaru can't have her running around here forever, there's gotta be a city somewhere," Kouga insisted.

"Well like I said the neutral ones don't want her, and there's no way in hell a miko city will take her. What's he supposed to do?"

"Like I know, I'm just saying."

"Yeah yeah," Inuyasha grunted, drawing the Tetsusaiga. "We gonna finish or what?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Kouga grinned, raising his fists.

- - - - - - - - - -

"That still doesn't make sense," Sesshomaru shook his head and tapped his chin, setting the paperwork back on his desk. "Even if they knew there was a delivery that night there is no reason it should have stood out from any other delivery around the area. The shippers were human and we used human contacts to place the order."

"A lucky guess?" Kagura shrugged from the front of his desk.

"You know I don't believe in luck, Kagura," Sesshomaru snorted. "No, somehow they must have been informed of our hand in the delivery. Fortunately the shipment was received and undamaged." Sesshomaru picked up another paper and studied it. "According to the armory every weapon was accounted for. This is one crate of artillery the miko shall not be getting their hands on."

"As if they could use youkai weapons anyway," Kagura reminded, picking up the paperwork for the delivery Inuyasha had overseen the other day. The shipment of youki-powered swords from Thailand had been a boon to their army. Sure, the youkai swordsmiths were crafting and enchanting weapons around the clock, but they could only do so much. Currently only the elite and best ranked members of the youkai forces were given such blades. If Sesshomaru had his way, even the lowest and more inexperienced fighter would hold one before the year was done. A lofty goal but one he believed could be achieved.

"We've heard rumors some of the dark mikos can, and even if they can't they could still keep the weapons from us," Sesshomaru explained. "But that is irrelevant, what matters not is what the shipment was but how they were informed of it."

"Perhaps an informant?" Kagura asked. Sesshomaru's eyes darkened. Spies were a regular nuisance in this war, as one would expect them to be in any other. The only problem with youkai spies is that they could smell when one was lying. Thus it was almost impossible to get a spy into the youkai militia. It was one of the few advantages they had over the miko.

"I should think that was unlikely, but now I am not so sure," Sesshomaru admitted. "The shipment was placed through the armory, to myself, and I ordered Inuyasha through you to oversee the delivery. Thus it must have been one of the humans who betrayed us."

"That's probable, you know how cowardly they can be."

"Indeed. Call all of them and tell them to come to me tomorrow. I shall interview all of them in great detail."

"Yes Sesshomaru," Kagura nodded, making a note of her boss' order on her clipboard. She was more or less the only employee in the militia to get away with calling Sesshomaru by name, well, her and his brother. She knew she only got away with it because of her past romantic involvement with the youkai, but more than that he respected her. Kagura was only a hanyou, a wind-youkai, and she had worked hard her entire life to crawl up from the slum her mother lived in. When her mother had died and her sister Kanna was lost in a sea of legal red tape, Kagura had vowed to earn her back and done a lot of things towards that goal.

She had done a lot of things she wasn't proud of to get into a community college, many of them Sesshomaru knew about and just as many she'd rather he not. Between swiping money from her job as a street vendor to slipping a wallet or two from the pockets of strangers, Kagura had skirted back and forth over the legal line in her attempt to prove herself to the world. She wasn't some lowly half-breed whore from a slut of a mother and a savage rapist of a father. She was Kagura Ichiro, and if it cost her every shred of sanity she possessed she was going to ingrain that name on the mind of those that had sneered down their noses at her.

She had met Sesshomaru trying to pick his pocket in the parking lot of the shopping center near her vendor area. He had promptly grabbed her arm and asked her to tell him why he should let her keep it. Kagura had ripped herself away from him and refused to explain herself. This was during the truce but the sight of two arguing youkai still drew attention. Sesshomaru at that time had been involved in a high-profile investment firm, and once someone recognized him and started snapping pictures on their camera-phone he had grudgingly asked for Kagura's silence over his outburst. Kagura's price was a job, or she told the press she had almost lost her arm to him.

It had taken her a lot of work to stop earning glares from the youkai on the first day she entered his office as his new secretary, but she had won him over in time and worked her way from his office into his bedroom. At first it had been something that happened in the heat of the moment, which Kagura considered turning into an opportunity to advance her goals of power and respect. But despite his initial disgust for her, Sesshomaru had done much for her and she couldn't bring herself to betray him. Once again Sesshomaru demanded her silence over her night in his bed – Kagura's price this time, with a smirk on her ruby lips, had been a second night. And then a third. And eventually a forth until she didn't even have to ask anymore. When the war had begun the sexual side of their relationship ended, but not their professional one.

"Is there anything else?" Sesshomaru asked, bringing her out of her nostalgic haze.

"Yes," Kagura slid a slip of yellow paper into his sight. "You got another complaint about Rin, this time she was playing with some sensitive equipment in the infirmary."

"Was anything damaged?" Sesshomaru was almost bored as he began filling out the appropriate spaces on the paper.

"Not that I was told."

"Well that's something," Sesshomaru sighed, handing her back the paper. "That girl needs to learn to keep her hands at her sides and away from dangerous things."

"It's that kitsune, Shippo or something, he dares her to do all those things," Kagura explained. "He is a kitsune, it's in his nature to be mischievous and at the amount of time she spends with him Rin's going to become a kitsune herself someday."

"Well I can't exactly forbid them to play," Sesshomaru muttered. "The kitsune is the only one here besides myself and Inuyasha that Rin has taken a shine to. He may not be the best guardian but at least she has someone to watch out for her, and Inuyasha and myself are both too busy to baby-sit."

"Play? She's fifteen and he's thirty-six, in human terms Shippo's old enough to be her father," Kagura said.

"And in youkai terms Shippo just grew out of suckling his thumb," Sesshomaru corrected. "And factor in he's a kitsune, and they're both a pair of childish troublemakers. They may be teenagers but that just means they know when they're annoying and just don't care."

"True," Kagura smiled as she remembered the first time she had seen Rin laugh when Shippo impersonated Sesshomaru as a prank on Inuyasha. "Remember when she first came here, so innocent and eager to learn about our kind?"

"Sadly, no," Sesshomaru shook his head. "Our kind is not something she needs to be aware of. This war has already taken her family and her home. I'd rather not see it take her spirit too."

"How sentimental, Sesshomaru," Kagura chuckled softly. "I only ever thought you were that protective with me."

"Do not be coy with me woman," he growled. "You and I are no longer involved in such a way. This is a different matter entirely. Rin has a youthful and vibrant spirit inside her. I'd rather not see it taken away by the harsh realities of life. The last thing Rin needs in her life is more death and chaos."

"I have to agree," Kagura looked over her clipboard. "There's a few more approval forms to fill out."

"Well?" Sesshomaru asked, holding out his hand. Kagura passed him the papers and he quietly began signing them.

**Sorry for the late update, was busy finishing Displacement's final chapter to get it out in time for its 1-year anniversary.**

**Keep your eyes on Rin, dear readers. I'm taking her as a character in a new direction and have much in store for her.**


	4. Chapter 4

Love Thy Enemy

Chapter Four

"Sesshomaru wants to see you," Kouga said. Inuyasha yawned loudly.

"You woke me at six in the morning for that?" the hanyou snorted, scratching his shoulder.

"He wants you dressed and in his office for a briefing in ten minutes," Kouga replied. "It's about your next assignment."

"Fine, whatever. Tell Fluffy to keep his pants on, I'll be down there." Inuyasha closed the door to his room without waiting for an answer. Yawning again as he pulled open to the drawers on his dresser, he grabbed a pair of black jeans and a red T-shirt and pulled them on, not really caring about appearances around his brother. Rubbing his eyes and blinking, he moved to the door of the room and left. Being that it was so early, the sun had just begun to break twilight's grasp over the grounds as Inuyasha walked over them to his brother's office.

"Morning," Kagura called, lifting her head from her computer.

"Six am, not in the mood," Inuyasha replied, flipping her off and heading straight for the elevator. Two koumori got off on the ground floor, and Inuyasha got in alongside a kitsune and a neko. The neko gave him a once over and sniffed, but Inuyasha didn't care. Being a hanyou, more than a few youkai around the camp didn't care for him, but he had Sesshomaru in his corner, indirectly keeping others from making trouble for him.

Getting off on his brother's floor, he moved past a second, older-looking neko engrossed in a clipboard as he walked down the hall. The door to Sesshomaru's office opened, and the taiyoukai was signing various slips of paperwork.

"When did war become a business?" Inuyasha asked dryly, tapping the sheets of paper beside his brother's computer.

"War has always been a business, you just kill the rival companies you take over instead," Sesshomaru muttered, finishing his slip and looking up.

"So, you got my next job?" Inuyasha asked, sitting down.

"Yes." Sesshomaru took a breath. "It is important that everything we are about to speak of not leave this room. Do not say a word to anyone else, do you understand me?" he demanded. Inuyasha slowly nodded, concerned now. He knew Sesshomaru trusted him, so why the big deal over secrecy?

"So what's up?" he asked.

"We have reasons to believe there's a spy in our ranks," Sesshomaru explained.

"Impossible, we'd sniff them out easily," Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"So you would think. All the same, over the last six months there have simply been too many security leaks to just be coincidence. Either the mikos have someone peering into the future, or they have an informant. Obviously if they have a spy that has been able to slip past our security we have to find and get rid of them and find out how to stop future infiltrations."

"So what's the plan?"

"Tonight, there is a gala event in a human city to the east, it's the closest city to our camp. The mayor's daughter is turning twenty-one, and the social elite of the city is going to attend. The pattern of information slips shows that only our transactions with humans have been at risk, so it's most likely a human that is betraying us. You will be going to this event, and will attempt to find any evidence of someone siding with the miko there."

"This sounds like a big waste of my time, go to a yuppie convention and sniff out a war monger?" Inuyasha grumbled.

"I will admit that the lead is shaky, but it is all we have and as we have no other assignments that we need you for, it is best that you go," Sesshomaru said. "Kouga will drive you into town this afternoon, you will change into your disguise and use the concealment scroll afterwards. The event begins at six, you will be expected-"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa!" Inuyasha interrupted. "Concealment scroll?"

"Yes. It will rob you of your youkai abilities for four hours. The event lasts until ten, which gives you an hour of leeway. This is an undercover operation, Inuyasha, if you went in as a youkai your assignment would fail miserably."

"Yeah, but…I'll be human," Inuyasha protested lamely. He hated being human. Feeling weak and helpless.

"This is a social event, there will be no need for fighting, we hope," Sesshomaru explained. "Inuyasha, you're the only hanyou we have to perform this operation on such short notice and you know full-blooded youkai can't use concealment scrolls. If you don't go, the assignment does not get carried out. It's that simple."

"No pressure huh?" the hanyou groaned. "Fuck…"

"It is your choice to go or not, you _will_ be highly vulnerable if you are suspected. If there is indeed a turncoat present there, they will likely have bodyguards on alert for suspicious people."

"Mikos?" Inuyasha asked, his ear twitching. He didn't speak another word, but Sesshomaru read the unasked question in his molten eyes.

"She may be there, she may not be," he admitted. "But if she is, she will not cause you harm in your human guise."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Consider who we are speaking of."

"Got me there…" Inuyasha thought for a moment. "Alright, fine. But I go in armed. We got guns in the armory, right?"

"Yes, if you think you can sneak one into an event where the mayor and his daughter will be attending," Sesshomaru snorted. "Try and use your head for once, Inuyasha. You will be given appropriate attire and Kouga will be present in the city, also in human form, but armed and with an escape vehicle. If there is trouble, you will be well equipped to escape, as well equipped as you can be under the circumstances."

"Which still doesn't seem to be a lot," Inuyasha pointed out.

"This is true," Sesshomaru nodded. "You will still go?"

"Yeah, I'm tired of sitting on my ass while I was healing," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Good. Now, listen carefully. You will be given an alias, you will be going on the behalf of one of our human allies within the city. He was on the guest list and agreed not to go to allow us passage in his place. His name is Miroku Houshi, and that is all I can tell you for security purposes. The event organizers have been informed of the switch, so you should have no trouble getting inside.

"What's the alias?"

"Yash Shingetsu, memorize it. Just give them your name at the doors and tell them you are attending on the behalf of Miroku Houshi. We have prepared an appropriate gift, which you will be have to give to them upon your arrival. Once inside, and listen closely, it is vital you not stand out. From our information from Miroku, we know there will be dancing, a bar and several tables of finger foods. Later in the evening there may or may not be speeches. Eat, drink, dance, socialize, or at least make convincing attempts to. Anyone who stands out will risk being watched by anyone on the lookout for infiltrators."

"Yeah yeah, no being a wallflower, got it," Inuyasha replied. "Anything else besides being a social butterfly?"

"Yes. Listen to the conversations around you. If the information is indeed there, listen for someone particularly anti-youkai, or someone who seems too well-versed in the events of the war. Or, just anyone who seems out of place."

"Besides me."

"Yes. If you see anyone of that sort, watch them, if they make any sort of move follow them, otherwise keep your distance and remember to be discreet. If you can, get their name. Both from those protecting the spy and those protecting the mayor and his family, you will be watched closely, it is vital you not give yourself away. If you got their name, then you merely need to rendezvous with Kouga and return and the assignment will be considered a success. If you cannot, then you two will have to follow them to their home."

"That it?"

"Yes. Just remember to keep your cover, mingle, and be observant. I know those three attributes are not your key character traits, but it is vital you not fail," Sesshomaru repeated. "Now, come we me." He stood up and walked to the door. "We will retrieve your suit, the gift you will be bringing and your other equipment."

"Suit?" Inuyasha cried, standing as Sesshomaru opened the door to his office. "No one said anything about a monkey suit!"

- - - - - - - - - -

That evening, the sun was just beginning to dip as Kouga drove down the highway, whistling softly. He reached up and pulled his baseball hat down further, making sure it hid his pointed ears. Look in the rearview mirror of the pick-up to be sure, he grinned at the lump jammed between the passenger's seat and the back of the cap.

"How ya holding up mutt?" he chuckled.

"Fuck you," Inuyasha muttered back, thoroughly uncomfortable in the cramped space under a black sheet. "What time is it?" Kouga looked down at the radio display on the dashboard.

"About six-thirty. We're coming up on the city so keep your mouth shut," he said. Inuyasha stilled and hunkered down as much as he could as Kouga turned off the highway. There were quite a few smaller cities here and there, but for the war effort they were irrelevant or of minor importance. The metropolises of the country were the vital pieces, and all of them had security at their borders regardless of their allegiance. This city was no different.

Approaching the gates of the city roads, Inuyasha grew still, and Kouga took a breath, then reached into the glove compartment and stuck a cigarette in his lips. The approaching darkness, the shade of the trees and the lack of light in the cab would make his hiding place less noticeable, but nothing was certain. The SUV ahead of him was waved through, and Kouga pulled up to the gate.

"State your name please," the guard said, lifting a flashlight and shining it into the cab.

"Uh…" Kouga faked an accent and made a show of pulling out his fake license from the overhead and looking at it. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the back hick impression his friend was attempting. "Uh, Clark…To….tom….Thompson!" Kouga grinned stupidly as the guard reached out and took his license.

"What's your purpose in the city Mr. Thompson?" Kouga shrugged.

"Shopping, just takin' in the sights I's suppose. Don't get to the city much anay more," he replied. The guard nodded.

"Mind if I take a look in the back Mr. Thompson?"

"Sure," Kouga nodded. The guard moved behind the truck, and Kouga watched in the side mirror as they looked through the back of the pickup, then came back to the cab.

"Alright, here," the guard said, handing Kouga back his license.

"Thanks," Kouga grinned taking it. "Ya'll have a good day, sir." He put his hands on the wheel and edged forward.

"Hold it. What's behind the seat?"

Inuyasha's eyes went wide as Kouga jerked to a stop. Kouga looked over at the tarp covering his friend, thought for a moment, and shrugged and turned back.

"Puppy."

The guard raised an eyebrow. "Puppy?"

"Yeah, muh old puppy Gipper. Well, he old, so I guess he ain't a puppy no more," Kouga laughed as Inuyasha gritted his teeth below the tarp and flexed his claws. "I wanted to show him the big lights too. Hey, that's allowed right, cuz I got a leash for him ya know."

"Yes, pets are allowed in public with leashes," the guard nodded. "Why's he behind the seat?"

"Well Gipper's getting' a little feisty these days, I got no female dogs, ya know?" Kouga replied. "So I put him in a pet carrier, to keep him from running around, tryin' to hump muh leg while I'm driving. Gipper likes the humpin', see?" Kouga grinned, and a foot away, Inuyasha was silently mouthing every curse he knew, and making up a few as he went along. "An then, I put the carrier behind the seat, so it don't bounce 'round, Gipper don't get hurt."

"He seems awfully quiet for a dog in heat," the guard pointed out.

"He's sleepin, I let him get a good hump in before we left, tired him out," Kouga explained. The guard nodded.

"Alright, sir…you and 'Gipper', have a nice evening and enjoy the city."

"Thanks!" Kouga called, driving forward through the gates. He looked in the mirror at the guard and turned a corner. "We're clear," he said in a normal voice again, tossing his unlit cigarette out the window.

"You fucking asshole!" Inuyasha snarled, leaping out from his hiding spot. "What the fuck was that?"

"Keeping our cover," Kouga replied.

"By lying and saying I was a puppy?"

"Who's lying?" Kouga smirked as Inuyasha growled at him. "Shut up, we're here." Inuyasha turned forward as Kouga pulled down an alley and parked. "Alright puppy, time to go to the dog show."

"Shut the fuck up," Inuyasha snapped, climbing into the passenger seat with the bag holding his suit. He climbed out into the alley and put the disguise on the passenger seat, then opened the glove compartment and took out the rolled-up concealment scroll. Kouga climbed out, reach in to turn on the interior light, and looked up and down the alley.

"You're good," he nodded. Inuyasha unfurled the scroll and murmured the words printed there. He finished the last line and flinched as the familiar sensation overtook him. His silver hair darkened to black, his golden eyes turned deep violet, and his claws and fangs vanished. His ears retreated into his hair as new human ones emerged on his head, and he groaned at the sense of being weaker and having dampened senses. He hated being human.

"Alright, the thing lasts for four hours," Kouga reminded as Inuyasha took off his civilian jeans and shirt. "It's about a quarter to seven now, so that gives you until ten thirty to get back here with enough time to avoid being caught."

"Right," Inuyasha agreed, pulling on the dark grey suit pants.

"Remember, blend in, talk, dance, eat, socialize," Kouga continued. Inuyasha zipped up the zipper of the pants and pulled on the red dress shirt, buttoning up the front. "And oh yeah, keep a lookout for anyone who might be a spy, k?"

"Right, because I'm sure they'll be wearing a sign," Inuyasha snapped, shrugging the jacket for the suit up his shoulders. Kouga watched as the hanyou-turned-human put on the dress shoes and smirked.

"You clean up good," he snickered. Inuyasha just gave him a dirty look as he reached under the seat of the pickup and retrieved the white and blue box with the gift for the event inside. He then grabbed a small cellphone from the glove compartment. If anything went wrong, he could call Kouga for whatever reason. Picking up a brush, he knelt by the side mirror and brushed his now midnight hair, until it was what he considered presentable, and tossed the brush back into the car. Finally, he got a hair band and pulled his hair into a ponytail, tying it up and snapping the band into place near his scalp. He hated the style, but it helped his disguise a little, so Sesshomaru had insisted.

"Well, I look ready?" he asked, looking down at himself.

"As ready as you can be," Kouga nodded. Inuyasha took a breath. "Good luck, and don't get caught. How am I gonna explain what happened to Gipper when I leave?" Kouga snickered as Inuyasha rolled his eyes and headed down the alley. Kouga climbed back into the truck behind him and pulled out a pocket novel from beside his seat.

Inuyasha emerged from the street. Sure enough, Kouga hard parked behind the large hotel where the event was being held. He walked to the corner of the block, somewhat happy to be back. It was this same human city he had lived in before the truce. He stopped at the corner and looked down the streets, wondering if he could spot his old apartment from his current location. He couldn't. Hell, if he remembered correctly it was all the way on the other side of the city.

Turning to face the hotel entrance, where cabs and cars and doormen were filling the drop-off area, along with more than a few men in black suits that looked like something from a sci-fi comic. Taking another breath, Inuyasha lifted his head, put on a prideful and authoritarian look, and walked towards the entrance of the hotel. The security officers looked up, and Inuyasha ignored them and headed for the one with the clipboard.

"Name?" the guard asked.

"Yash Shingetsu, attending on behalf of Miroku Houshi," Inuyasha supplied, gesturing to his gift. The guard scanned the clipboard and nodded.

"Yup, right here," he said, taking out a pen and crossing off Inuyasha's name. "You're clear, head in. The gift area is near the stage, just place it by the pile. Have a good evening sir." Inuyasha nodded as two other security guards moved out of the way of the door, and Inuyasha walked past them and entered the hotel.

**I had planned to incorporate more of the actual event into the chapter, including a cliff-hanger ending, but the chapter got too long, so you'll have to wait until next chapter. Sorry, as it ended up this chapter was largely a set-up chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

Love Thy Enemy

Chapter 5

The hall where the party was being held was fairly large, and standard as far as Inuyasha was concerned. Half the area had been turned into a dance floor with a stage with an orchestral band on it at the far end. The other half of the room held the food tables and seating areas. A balcony ran along the walls looking over the room, with no staircase within the room itself going up. The entire color scheme of the room was a mix of red, gold and brown.

Thoroughly not impressed, Inuyasha quickly moved to the food tables and grabbed a plate and a bread roll. Ignoring the serving hands on the other side, he proceeded to take a small container of butter, a utensil set wrapped in a napkin and a small salad in a bowl before staking out a table and sitting down. Violet eyes scanned the crowd as Inuyasha unrolled the knife and fork from the napkin and set into his salad.

He wasn't one for social events, never had been, so keeping himself from getting immersed in the festivities wouldn't be hard. Except that was the problem, he was supposed to mingle. Taking another mouthful of his salad, he stood and grabbed his food and walked to another table.

"Excuse me, mind if I sit here?" he asked, trying to disguise his voice slightly. The man sitting at the table, an older man with sandy short hair and a beard, turned. He had on a pair of black dress pants with a matching tie over a light beige shirt. A black jacket was on the back of his chair.

"Absolutely, feel free," he smiled, waving his hand.

"Thanks, I came alone and was looking for some friendly company," Inuyasha replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

"Well then look no further, young lad," the man chuckled, holding out his hand. "Montgomery Benix, England. Call me Monty."

"Yash Shingetsu, Japan. Call me Yash," Inuyasha replied, shaking his hand.

"Pleasure Yash," Monty nodded. "Shingetsu, that name is familiar…" Monty thought for a moment as Inuyasha poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher on the table. "Ah yes, now I recall. Are you perhaps related to an Nomura Shingetsu, from Kyoto?"

"I'm not sure, they may be a distant relative. I've never looked into the family tree much," Inuyasha said evenly, trying to maintain his cover.

"Ah, well it is just as well, Nomura is a scoundrel of a crooked man," Monty shrugged. "What do you do Yash?"

"I manage stock portfolios, investment opportunities, gross deduction…" Inuyasha deliberately trailed off, and Monty frowned.

"I don't believe I entirely understood that," he admitted.

"No one does, that's how I get away with charging so much," Inuyasha smirked, biting into his salad. Monty let out another chuckle and took a bite of a pasta dish on his plate. Inuyasha thought quickly for a moment. He was supposed to socialize, fine. But he couldn't keep his cover easily if Monty kept asking such questions.

"So how do you know Ms. Alicia?" Monty asked.

"Who?" Inuyasha replied.

"The mayor's daughter, that young woman over there." Monty waved a hand, and Inuyasha leaned over the back of his chair. At a larger table near the wall was a young woman with long brown hair. Six security guards were standing around the table, although Inuyasha figured that there were a few disguised among the partygoers. Beside her was an older man with glasses and a suit worth more than Inuyasha himself. That must have been the mayor.

Beside the mayor, was not his wife, as Inuyasha would have expected. It was a man, a young man, only a few years older than Inuyasha's human form appeared – maybe mid twenties, or late? He had long black hair tied into a loose ponytail and dark red eyes and wore a dark violet suit with a white shirt and black tie. Inuyasha didn't know who he might be, but he was clearly involved in a heated discussion with the mayor, although they didn't seem to be arguing. In fact, the mayor was listening intently and occasionally nodding. Inuyasha frowned as he turned his attention and eyes back to his companion. Something about that man was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it…

"I don't know her, I came here on behalf of someone else," he said to Monty. "Miroku Houshi."

"Ah. I've heard of him, but haven't had the pleasure myself," Monty nodded. Inuyasha finished his salad and looked around for another means of escape. He found one on the other side of the room.

"Excuse me Monty, I see a young woman who needs a dance partner," he said, standing up. Monty winked.

"Ah, that's the spirit, go get 'em boy," he laughed, pouring himself a glass of water. Inuyasha ignored him and vanished onto the sea of people on the dance floor. He looked down at his watch. He'd only been there fifteen minutes. Damn. He noticed a woman bowing away from her dance party and moved towards her.

"May I?" he asked, holding out his hand. The woman, a middle-aged blond in a dark red gown, turned to him and smiled.

"Certainly sir," she nodded, taking his hand. Inuyasha avoided eye contact as he tried to observe the room. The woman, thankfully, took the lead and left him to watch. There were plenty of guards around the room, many uniformed but there were others in the crowd who had the same stern face of an officer. So much for picking out a spy, half the room looked suspicious. At least he was blending in fairly well.

"You dance well," the woman smiled.

"Thanks," Inuyasha muttered, not really paying attention. He scanned the balcony running along the walls. More guards patrolled it, and there were a few doors he could see leading to side rooms. He made a note to check them out later. Turning back to the crowd, he looked through the people to see if anyone was watching him. To his relief, none had noticed the lone man scanning the room. Perhaps, as he had deduced, he just appeared as an un-uniformed security agent.

"Excuse me sir, my husband is calling." Inuyasha turned his attention back to the woman as the song ended.

"Sure," he replied. The woman smiled at him and moved off the floor to another man with a dark blue suit. Free to look at the upper floors, he moved to the edge of the floor.

"Hello."

Inuyasha mentally groaned and turned. A young redheaded woman smiled up at him, blue-green eyes twinkling. She had on a light blue dress cut just above the knee with a small silver necklace. Her red hair was tied into a bun with her bangs hanging over her forehead.

"May I have the pleasure?" she asked, holding out her hand. Inuyasha mentally debated the best response.

"Whatever," he said, taking her hand. The woman's grin widened as the next song, a faster one, began.

"I have to say I don't recall seeing you at these events before. I'm sure I'd remember someone so handsome," she teased. Inuyasha spun her and ignored her. Compliments weren't his thing. "So what's your name?" the woman asked.

"Yash Shingetsu," Inuyasha replied. "What about you, you have a name?"

"Yes."

Although he wasn't really interested, the woman's flirty response was nonetheless uncomfortable for him. Inuyasha frowned. He hadn't come to the damn party to socialize, even if he was expected to. And that damn smile was really annoying him for some reason.

"Fine, don't tell me," he muttered.

"As you wish," the woman giggled. Inuyasha lifted his eyes from her and looked up at the stage. The podium was being adjusted, and he noticed a few people on the side of the room walking towards it.

"Sir, you seem a little distracted. Am I not good company?" the woman pouted.

"What? No, it's…" Inuyasha shook his head and remembered his cover. "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Really?" the woman asked as he spun her out. She turned back into his chest and looked up at him. "Like what, Inu-chan?" she whispered.

Inuyasha's violet eyes widened as the woman took advantage of his hesitation and took the lead in the dance. He looked down at her smirk and mentally cursed. Now he knew why it was so off-putting to him.

"Kagome?" he hissed between clenched teeth.

"Yes?"

The music and the noise of the party suddenly seemed to grow quiet as Inuyasha glared down at the miko in his arms, smiling at him like he had just given her the key to the city.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped, his patience running out in that split second.

"Dancing," Kagome replied. "Unless you'd rather fight, but I'd prefer not to blow my cover, thanks."

"How are you here, why do you look like that?"

"Hair dye and contacts, not all of us need concealment scrolls, Inu-chan. So, you want to take me up on that fight offer or what?"

Inuyasha considered the situation. It was true, he didn't have a weapon but he'd been trained in unarmed combat. Still, if he blew his cover, Sesshomaru would have his ass, especially if he found out the cause. Not to mention he may not survive to escape the party with so many guards around. Deciding it was too much trouble, he took the lead back from Kagome and lifted his hand into the air to twirl her.

"What's going on, why are you here?" he asked. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Like I can tell you," she snorted.

"You tell me why you're here, I'll tell you why I'm here."

"Didn't we play that game before? It was show, not telling, I believe." Inuyasha's face went red at the memory of the night she was referring to.

"Well?" he asked, putting his libido in check for the time being.

"Fine." Kagome lowered her voice. "I'm undercover. There's someone leaking information, we think it's a human. I'm here looking for someone suspicious."

"Really?" Inuyasha frowned at the familiar story.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because that's why I'm here."

Kagome's face darkened as the two of them silently considered what that meant. Both sides had sent them to investigate a spy, at the same place, the same night, with the same justification for the search.

"This doesn't smell right," Kagome muttered. "I don't buy it. Even if we both had spies, there's no way they'd both be here."

"You think someone is setting us up?" Inuyasha asked.

"Why? My superiors like me, and unless yours are pissed off there's no reason to get rid of either of us," Kagome shook her head. "If we're here for the same reason, then either someone is lying, or…"

"We're looking for the same person." Inuyasha lowered his gaze. "Maybe someone is playing both sides."

"Why, that doesn't make any sense. The only reason for selling out both sides would be…well, maybe make the war go longer. I mean if you wanted it over sell out one side, but both? What's the point of that?"

"I don't know."

The two slowed their dance as they thought over the small revelation. Inuyasha's mind was racing. What purpose could be served playing the two sides against each other, when by all accounts it had already come to that? There wasn't a third side in the war, the humans didn't count, they were mostly neutral. So if someone was lying both ways, maybe it was someone leading an underground group. Or someone was acting on their own. Who the hell could have so much power that they would infiltrate betray both sides and not get caught?

"Attention, dear guests."

Inuyasha turned to the stage as the song ended to see the mayor at the podium adjusting the microphone.

"Welcome to the party for my dear Alicia. Thank you all for coming, we truly appreciate it," the mayor continued. The guests applauded, and Inuyasha began to follow suit when he noticed his hands were unoccupied. He turned and looked through the crowd. Kagome was gone. He muttered a curse and turned back around.

"Although my daughter knows this is her celebration, I also have an announcement to make, well, not mine really. You see, ladies and gentlemen, tonight is a special night. Not only is my lovely young lady a year older, but this is a grand night for the entire city. However, I feel I'm likely not the best man to explain why. So if you'll please, welcome to the podium, an honored friend." The mayor turned and lifted his hand to gesture at a man standing beside him. Inuyasha frowned. It was the same crimson-eyed man that had been talking to the mayor earlier.

"Dear guests, welcome to the podium, a good man, an intelligent friend and a hanyou ambassador for the youkai. I give you, Amane Naraku."

The crowd applauded awkwardly, but more than a few whispers circled as the mayor shook hands with Naraku and stepped away from the podium. Inuyasha shared their surprise. A hanyou friend to the mayor of a miko-aligned city? That would explain what he had sensed about the guy earlier. But for an ambassador, he'd never heard of anyone called Naraku before.

"Thank you, Mayor Wilkins, for that introduction," Naraku nodded at the mayor and turned his attention back to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, as my good friend Mayor Wilkins said, I am Amane Naraku, ambassador of the youkai and a hanyou of the kumo-breed. Please, do not be ashamed to show your surprise, I understand. It is that very reason I am here tonight." Naraku lowered his head and cleared his throat before continuing.

"As a hanyou, I'm sure you know that I am half-human, half-youkai. And for years both races condemned my kind as an 'unholy union', a crime against nature. We all know that is not true now, and I believe in this age, nothing could further from the truth. For I believe it is my heritage that has given me a unique perspective on the war surrounding us. Make no mistake, I know the view many humans take to my youkai cousins. Monsters, murderers, senseless killers. And while yes, many youkai are these things, could we not say the same for many humans? While we are all entitled to our individual opinions, there is no denying that while our races are quite different…in many ways, they're quite the same."

"So, ladies and gentlemen, why is it, we focus on the differences? Why must we use such archaic terms like human, hanyou, youkai, miko? Are we all not people, us all? I believe in a world where all of us can sit at a table, drink and eat and be friends. And to my great pleasure, Mayor Wilkins shares my vision. My vision of a world united against the greater evil. Poverty, crime, homelessness, injustice, there are the forces that plague us all. The time has come for youkai and human to put aside their differences and fight those evils. And it is for that reason, that Mayor Wilkins tonight, wishes for me to inform you all that this is no longer a miko-allied city." The crowd burst into more murmurs as Mayor Wilkins stepped back up beside Naraku.

"That's correct. Tonight, my dear guests, this city takes the first step, to a world united. I hereby open our doors to all the peoples of the world, hanyou, youkai, miko and human alike. Let us all find our place, wherever it may be, and let our city serve as an example to others, that this war shall not continue." A waiter held out a tray with two glasses of wine, and Mayor Wilkins took them, passing one of them to Naraku.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a toast!" Mayor Wilkins smiled.

"To a world united!" Naraku nodded. Inuyasha rolled his eyes as the two clinked their glasses together.

Then, the second floor balcony exploded.

Screams rang out and the guests ducked as rubble rained down on the floor. Inuyasha raised his head to see a large portion of the balcony missing, and burning chunks of rock and wood littering the area around the missing area. The security agents had leapt into action, filing the guests out of the room. Inuyasha looked at the stage. The mayor and Naraku were already gone. There was gunfire, and Inuyasha looked up to see two security agents stumble back over the balcony. One collapsed against a support pillar while the other fell over and landed in a sickening thud on the ground. Inuyasha rushed over and grabbed his gun from his limp hand.

"Sir, drop the weapon and evacuate!" Inuyasha turned his head to see one of the security agents glaring down at him, aiming his gun at his head. A second agent ran up to him, a hand on his earpiece.

"We've got a problem, two unidentified people spotted in the stairwells, they're got the daughter and another unidentified hostage," the second guard said. The first nodded.

"Sir, drop the weapon and evacuate, or I will fire!" he warned. Inuyasha looked down at the gun he was holding, then back up at the guard. Suddenly, the guard grunted and stumbled forwards. Inuyasha ducked out of the way and slammed the butt of the pistol into the back of his head as he fell. He looked back up to see a small white heel lift into the air and kick the second guard backwards, his gun falling from his hand and into another, smaller hand.

"Miss me?" Kagome grinned, holding out her hand.

"Like a cold," Inuyasha growled, pushing her aside and climbing to his feet. "They got the mayor's daughter."

"I heard, they've gotta be looking for a way out." Kagome nodded.

"Good luck going out the front door, they're probably got the entire block covered by cops now," Inuyasha snorted. The two shared a glance and reached the same conclusion at the same town.

"The roof," Kagome gasped.

"The explosion was just a diversion," Inuyasha agreed.

Kagome turned to run for the exit, and Inuyasha watched her go. Kagome looked over her shoulder at him.

"Well, we going or not?" she snapped, heading for the door.

"Oh, we're a 'we' now?" he called back, following her.


	6. Chapter 6

Love Thy Enemy

**Sorry for the late update, had some writer's block. I was also dealing with my first job, which I've now lost…oh well, right?**

**I'm not totally pleased with the way this chapter turned out, as it is it's a little shorter than usual, but here it is. Enjoy.**

Chapter 6

"Where are the stairs?" Inuyasha asked, emerging from the room behind Kagome. Kagome turned her head, and Inuyasha followed her gaze. Five armed men in black uniforms ran down the hall towards them, kneeling and taking aim with five semi-automatic assault rifles. Inuyasha rolled his eyes as their weapons clicked and went ready to fire.

"Can you take them?" he muttered dryly.

"Watch me work, Inu-chan. I know you love it," Kagome smirked. Inuyasha nodded and stepped back as the five men opened fire. Bullets whizzed, and Kagome flung out a hand. A rippling pink barrier flashed into place around them, and the bullets clanged against it, flashing as they made contact and fell through the barrier harmlessly. The men stopped firing, and Kagome lowered her hand, the barrier vanishing.

"Okay, now that we've established guns don't work against mikos…" she sighed, cracking her neck. The five men looked at each other, and charged forward.

Kagome ducked and rolled past them, and Inuyasha swung, slamming his fist into a Kevlar-covered chest. Kagome caught a leg between her ankles and flipped another one of the gunmen into a wall, kicking herself to her feet afterwards. Inuyasha caught a punch and pulled the swinger into his elbow, kneeing him in the chest and flipping him backwards. Turning and trading a couple blows, he head butted the fourth and threw him into the wall.

"Freeze hanyou!"

Inuyasha turned his head to see the fifth pointing their assault rifle at his head. He was human, how did they know he was a hanyou?

"You will proceed to the roof of this building for processing. Do you understand?" the man said. Suddenly, a pair of high heels flung out on either side of his head and locked around his neck. Letting out a strangled cry, he was flung back down the hall as Kagome flipped backwards out of her handstand. Wringing her hair out, she tossed Inuyasha a wink and walked past him.

"I don't remember ever seeing you use that move before," he muttered.

"There's a lot of moves I haven't shown you yet," she called back, walking towards the door to the stairwell. Following her with a scowl, he glared at her as she put her head to the door.

"And since when do we work together?" he asked.

"Sh," Kagome hissed, holding up a hand. Crossing his arms, Inuyasha waited as she listened to whatever muffled sounds she was hearing.

"They're moving out," she said after a moment, pulling her head back. "I'm heading to the roof." The door was tossed open and Kagome entered the stairwell. Considering his options for a moment, Inuyasha rolled his eyes and followed her.

"Sesshomaru is gonna have my ass for this, you know that right?" he called up the stairs at her.

"Not my problem, as long as he leaves some for me," came the reply. After ascending several stories, Inuyasha found Kagome leaning against the door outside. It was ajar slightly. She put a finger to her lips and beckoned him forward.

"Was it among them?"

Inuyasha stepped up to the landing beside Kagome and looked out through the narrow space between the door and the doorframe, giving them a narrow view of two people on the roof. One of them had on a black cloak with an elaborate white and red uniform underneath. The shirt was white with swirls of red and gold along the sides, and pearl buttons, although the cloak had been buttoned up over the upper half of the shirt. A small red, gold and silver badge was pinned on the left side of the uniform. His pants were simple as were his shoes, black and formal. His hair was stark white, and hung straight down to his waist. His eyes were bright red. The man beside him had darker hair and a similar, but much less elaborate uniform.

"I'm afraid not sir, but to be fair we may have missed it. Under the circumstances, our analysis of the items was rushed."

"Hn."

The man in the uniform walked forward, leaving the second to follow. Kagome gave Inuyasha a pointed look, and slowly pushed the door open. Inuyasha followed her and slowly closed the door behind them. Kagome pulled the gun she had swiped earlier from her belt.

"Our source promised us one of the three was here," the uniformed man muttered. "Obviously we have been tricked."

"Join the club," Kagome said aloud, lifting her gun. The man turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder.

"Hm. You are the one they send, Ms. Higurashi? How disappointing…"

"You know me?" Kagome demanded. The second man stepped back towards the helicopter in the distance as the uniformed man turned full around.

"I had hoped the miko would send one of their greatest agents. But I suppose, given their ranks, that that would be you anyway."

"Who are you?" Inuyasha snapped, coming up behind her. The violet gaze turned his way.

"Ah, of course, where the miko goes the lap dog is not far behind. I must say Inuyasha, that human guise is quite unfitting of you," the man said coolly.

"How do you know us?" Kagome asked, lifting a finger to pull back the hammer of the gun in her hand.

"How indeed…who does not know you two, my dear miko? A select few, no doubt, but I am not among their number."

"Stop speaking in riddles before I shoot you," Kagome growled.

"Oh yes, a bullet against a youkai, how deadly," the man sneered. "Really, Ms. Higurashi, what are the miko teaching their soldiers these days?"

"Purity energy. I can enchant a bullet just as easily I can an arrow."

"And its potency against me will increase?"

"Let's find out."

Inuyasha didn't flinch as Kagome let the hammer go. With the sound of a small explosion, the gun flashed pink and fired its bullet at the uniformed man. It lodged itself in the man's chest and flared pink again in a burst of purity energy. The man let out a small sound and lifted a hand to pluck what was left of the slug from his chest.

"Amusing."

"How…" Kagome shook her head and lowered her gun.

"What are you?" Inuyasha asked. The man turned and walked towards the helicopter.

"I am Magatsuhi. Remember the name."

"I'll shoot again," Kagome said. Magatsuhi ignored her and stepped into the open door of the helicopter.

"Master, what shall we do with them?" the pilot asked. Magatsuhi turned and nodded to a man sitting next to him.

"Muso. Take care of them." The man nodded and opened his door, stepping out of the helicopter. The door closed behind him, and flew into the air, leaving the man called Muso on the ground smiling. Muso also wore a uniform of white, red and gold, but he had no cloak and his uniform was much simpler. His badge was also smaller.

"What is he?" Inuyasha asked, pulling out his own gun. Kagome narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not sure…I'm not sensing any aura from him, miko or youkai," she replied.

"That's all I needed to hear." Inuyasha opened fire. Muso snarled and leapt up into the air. "What?" Inuyasha cried. Landing on the roof of the complex behind them, Muso stood up as Kagome spun and fired off a shot. Suddenly, Muso leapt into the air again, and his arm shot forward and slam a fist into Kagome's chest. Kagome rolled backwards as Muso landed, recoiling his arm to normal length.

"I thought you said he wasn't a youkai!" Inuyasha snapped.

"He can't be, there's no aura!" Kagome groaned, climbing to her feet. She looked down and ripped a tear in the sides of her groan, running forward.

"Mortals like you could never understand our strength," Muso sneered.

"Then we'll just have to settle for killing you!"

Muso's legs stretched and he flipped away as bullets pinged on the ground and wall where he had been a moment later. Landing on all fours, he lunged and tackled Inuyasha to the ground. The two rolled, and Inuyasha brought up a hand to grab Muso's wrist. The appendage turned dark brown, and Muso's hand shot out to fling Inuyasha across the roof. Kagome turned to watch the human hit the wall with a loud grunt.

"He's kicking our asses," she said, aiming and trying to fire at the agile man. Muso effortlessly evaded every shot, and Kagome was soon listening to the click of a hammer against empty metal.

"I noticed," Inuyasha growled, getting up. Muso landed, his limbs retracting to normal size. "Any ideas for surviving the night?"

"How long until your youkai powers return?"

"Too long."

"Then no, fresh out."

Muso smirked and ran forward, arms shooting out. The two dodged to the sides as Muso's fists shot past them. He grabbed the edge of the walls behind them and flipped up, landing crouching. Inuyasha climbed to his feet, putting a hand on the edge of the roof. He leaned back, and something caught his eye. Turning his head for a better look, he smiled.

"Hey shit-fist!" he snarled, turning to face Muso.

"Shit-fist? This isn't some B-flick action movie!" Kagome yelled from across the roof. Inuyasha ignored her.

"Come on!" Inuyasha tore off the jacket of his suit and began untying his tie. "I can't move properly with all this shit anyway, come on, bring it!" Muso chuckled as Inuyasha rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. "I may be a human but I can still kick your ass! Come on!" he demanded. Muso leapt forward and landed, charging across the roof and flinging a hand forward. Inuyasha lashed out and wrapped his arms around Muso's hand and wrist, and fell back.

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome screamed and ran forward as Inuyasha fell off the edge of the roof. Muso's eyes went wide as he was pulled over, and the two plummeted, Inuyasha pulling Muso closer and rolling on top of him as they went down. Above them, Kagome ran to the edge of the roof and looked down.

- - - - - - - - - -

_"WHO let the dogs out? Woof, woof woof woof! Who let the-"_

CRASH

Kouga sat forward in his seat and turned off the radio at the sound of something landing heavily in the back of the pickup truck. Cursing and pushing open the door, he climbed out and leaned up on the edge of the door to peer into the back.

"What the hell are you doing Inuyasha?" he muttered. Inuyasha rolled off of Muso, groaning. "And who the hell is that?"

"Watch him, he's a tough shit," he advised. Kouga shrugged and reached into the car, opening the glove compartment and pulling out a handgun. He swung his hand out and pressed the metal to Muso's hand as he opened his eyes weakly. Kouga fired, and Muso's head snapped back.

"Was," Kouga corrected, making sure Muso was dead. Inuyasha coughed, and Kouga lifted his eyes to look down at him. "How about you, you took a pretty big fall as a human."

"I'll be fine, he broke my fall" Inuyasha promised. "There was a bomb…someone got the mayor's daughter, and someone else, we didn't find out who…called himself Magatsuhi."

"Doesn't ring a bell," Kouga mused aloud, pursing his lip. "So we pulling out?"

"Cops are probably coming, if they aren't already here," Inuyasha nodded.

"Alright, let's go." Kouga tossed the gun back in the truck as Inuyasha looked up. A vaguely blue and black figure was hunched over the edge of the roof, and Inuyasha focused on them for a moment.

"Hey…hey!" he called.

"What?" Kouga replied, stepping back out of the truck. Inuyasha gestured upwards with his eyes, and Kouga followed his gaze. Nodding, he cupped his hands around his mouth. "He's fine! Just a little banged up!" he shouted up.

"And I may have cracked and dislocated a few things," Inuyasha added, turning his eyes to the wolf. "Can't move my left leg…"

"You'll be youkai before we get back to the camp, you'll be fine. Now lay back, we're hightailing it out of here." Kouga closed the door of the truck and revved the engine. Inuyasha turned his gaze up to the alley roofs again. She was gone.

"Hold on," Kouga called out the window, pulling down the alley. The truck bounced a bit as they pulled out onto the street, and Inuyasha let out a grunt.

_"When I fell…she called my name…" _he thought as they drove towards the city exit. _"Haven't heard her say my full name since…" _he let out a sigh. The night he had walked out…she'd all but begged him to come with her, to reconsider their options. In hindsight, he probably should have listened.

_"I know people, I can talk to them. You don't have to do this…"_

_"Yes I do. You have your cause…I have mine. I can't betray my people, anymore than I can expect you to betray yours."_

_"Inuyasha…please."_

_"I…I'm sorry…I…"_

The hanyou-turned human closed his eyes and pushed away the memory as Kouga turned the corner. There'd be time for painful nostalgia once he got back and Sesshomaru had finished putting him through a painful present. He shifted his position slightly, and scowled as he felt something dig into his hip. He reached down and pulled it out.

It was the badge that had been on Muso's uniform, although close-up it was more of a medal than a badge. Inuyasha lifted it to eye level and studied it. It was a small, eight-pointed silver star with a white and yellow sash to connect it to the uniform. A small raised circle lay in the middle of the medal, and sixteen smaller raised circles marked the eight to the points of the star, and the eight to the points where they connected. Inuyasha frowned and turned the medal over. Something had been etched in the back of the medal, and he squinted to read it in the shifting light of streetlamps as Kouga drove. It was Japanese.

"_Kun-ko ki-sho…_" he read aloud. He thought for a moment and mentally translated. It didn't ring a bell. "Hey Kouga!"

"I'm driving here!" came the response.

"Just look in the rearview mirror!" Inuyasha held up the medal so Kouga could see it. "What do you make of this?"

"What is it?"

"A medal, this Muso guy was wearing it. It says _kun-ko ki-sho_. That mean anything to you?"

"Not a thing. Hold onto it, we'll show it to Sesshomaru."

Inuyasha nodded and took his hand down. Looking at the medal once more, he pocketed it and leaned back for the ride back to camp.


	7. Chapter 7

Love Thy Enemy

Chapter 7

"Hm…the limb will be fine, since you're a youkai it'll heal perfectly, two days tops. It's definitely going to hurt though, you're lucky you didn't break it, or you'd be off your feet for a week."

"Spare me the lectures and tell me what I need to hear to get outta here," Inuyasha grumbled. Totosai rubbed his chin.

"Well, you just need to lay off the leg for a few days, like I said. Here, have a crutch." Totosai stood and walked to a cabinet, pulling out a plastic and steel crutch and tossing it at Inuyasha. The hanyou caught it and hefted himself off the examining table.

"Thanks," he said, leaning on the crutch and making his way to the door. Although he wouldn't normally heed Totosai's warnings, not seriously, he unfortunately was limping on his injured leg and so used the crutch to hobble to the door of the infirmary, leaving his room and heading down the hall. A few youkai looked at him as he walked across the grounds, likely surprised to see the taiyoukai's brother taking his time for once.

"So, how did it go?" Kagura asked as Inuyasha's shadow fell over her desk. She looked up, saw the crutch, and winced. "Ah."

"His office?"

"His office," Kagura nodded. Inuyasha grunted and moved to the elevators, flinging out the crutch to catch the doors. A kitsune pushed them open, and the hanyou mumbled a word of thanks as he slipped inside. He rode the elevator to Sesshomaru's floor and hobbled down to his brother's office.

"About time," Kouga called, leaning against the wall. "I've been waiting, he wants to see both of us." Inuyasha nodded as Kouga pushed open the door, and the two walked inside.

"Welcome," Sesshomaru said, finishing his typing on his computer. He moved the mouse and made a few clicks, and the printer against the wall beeped to life. That done, Sesshomaru turned to face Kouga and Inuyasha as they sat down. "So, report. Kouga, your side of events?"

"Infiltration and extraction were carried out flawlessly. Inuyasha's…return, to the truck was unexpected, but we got in and out without being bothered. I sped out the gates so I wouldn't be searched, but with no plates they have no way of finding who it was," Kouga said.

"Good. Inuyasha?"

"Got into the party alright, didn't have time to search for a spy," Inuyasha shrugged.

"How so?"

"There was a bomb like, half a hour after I arrived." Inuyasha thought for a moment. Unless Sesshomaru called him out on it, there was no point in mentioning Kagome. "I fought off a couple guys, got to the roof. There was a guy in come cloak and uniform there, named Magatsuhi."

"Magatsuhi?" Sesshomaru interrupted.

"Yeah…you know him?"

"No…continue," Sesshomaru shook his head, and Inuyasha mentally frowned.

"He took off in a chopper, left some guy named Muso to fight me. I tricked him into tackling me off the roof onto Kouga's truck. He's the corpse in the morgue."

"Ah…anything else of detail?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Yeah, I overheard Magatsuhi talking. He mentioned an informant that had told him 'one of the three was there', but that they had lied. Not sure what he meant."

"Neither am I," Sesshomaru admitted.

"Hey, show him the medal," Kouga reminded. Inuyasha nodded and dug into his pocket.

"Here. Muso was wearing it," Inuyasha pulled out the medal Muso had worn and tossed it across the desk. Sesshomaru caught it and examined it. "It says _kun-ko ki-sho_ on the back."

"The phrase is unknown to me…" Sesshomaru mused, turning the medal over and running a thumb over the ancient text etched there. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher the mysterious emotions passing through his brother's face. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Kouga and Inuyasha looked over their shoulders.

"Come in," Sesshomaru called. The door clicked open, and a man walked into Sesshomaru's office. He wore a dark blue dress shirt with black dress pants and a black tie, long black hair streaming down his chest on either side of his face, and down his back. His eyes were deep red, and the man stopped before the chairs Sesshomaru and Inuyasha sat in, and bowed his head.

"Good morning, Lord Sesshomaru," the man said deeply, lifting his head. Inuyasha stared at him.

"I know you," he muttered. The man turned his crimson gaze down at the hanyou. "I saw you last ni-"

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru cut off. Inuyasha remembered his cover, and fell silent. "Kouga, Inuyasha. Allow me to introduced Amane Naraku, gentlemen. Naraku is one of a small handful of youkai-appointed ambassadors to the human cities."

"Pleasure to meet you, Kouga," the wolf youkai said, holding out his hand. Naraku smiled and shook it, then turned to Inuyasha.

"Then that would make you Inuyasha," Naraku chuckled, holding out his hand. Inuyasha didn't take it, and with a shrug, Naraku folded his arms behind his back. "Please, no need to be hostile, if it would please you, you can finish your earlier sentence. I didn't see you at the party last night, but I would imagine you were using a concealment scroll, yes?" Inuyasha's mouth fell open.

"How the hell did you know that?" he asked.

"I know many things other youkai aren't privy to," Naraku said simply. "When one acts for the greater good of a species, it helps to make sure one is on top of things."

"So you spy on other youkai?" Inuyasha snapped, climbing to his feet. "What the hell kind of ambassador is that?"

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru growled in warning. Naraku held up a hand.

"Please, Sesshomaru, no need to reprimand him. With a true spy or two running about, it is good to see your brother is so diligent," he explained. "To answer your question Inuyasha, the youkai council knows the need for information. Simply put, when it comes to the youkai hierarchy, the higher you go, the more you know. And seeing as how I am one of their chief ambassadors and in charge of working towards re-establishing a truce, it follows in kind I would need access to information lower-ranked soldiers simply aren't allowed to know."

"Spare me the political bullshit," Inuyasha sneered. "You know, all three of us got tricked by a spy last night, and you were at that party. In tandem with your little speech, I'd say that sounds like a confession to me. You there just for speeches and drinks, or to make sure your little buddies took us out?"

"Us?" Sesshomaru frowned.

"Oh, you didn't tell Sesshomaru about the fun you had with your miko playmate last night?" Naraku asked. Inuyasha grimaced as Naraku turned his head to Sesshomaru. "Apparently, Inuyasha and the miko Kagome here made quite a tag-team last night, dispatching five armed guards in moments. I do say, it sounds like they work better fighting together than fighting each other."

"Really?" Sesshomaru muttered, glaring at his brother. "Did you know this Kouga?" Kouga coughed into his hand.

"I…may have…" he mumbled.

"It's not important," Inuyasha said, rolling his eyes.

"I beg to differ, you said 'all three of us got tricked'. You, Kagome, and Magatsuhi makes three," Naraku replied. "So, Inuyasha. What did she tell you…or, perhaps you should tell us what you told her?"

"You seem to know what I told her, how about you say it?" Inuyasha muttered.

"I didn't know you told her anything. But, 'in tandem with your little speech, I'd say that sounds like a confession'."

"Will you _stop_ quoting me?" Inuyasha hissed.

"I would not be able to quote you if you learned to stop stumbling over your own words and hypocrisies," Naraku replied. "You are aware, I assume, that leaking information to the enemy is means for imprisonment and perhaps even discharge on grounds of insubordination?"

"I didn't leak information, we _exchanged_ information, there's a difference," Inuyasha grated.

"And you accuse me of being a spy," Naraku said dryly. Inuyasha snarled and stepped towards him.

"That's enough Inuyasha!" Sesshomaru shouted, standing up. Inuyasha whirled his head to glare at the taiyoukai. "Kouga, please leave."

"No problem," the wolf youkai muttered, standing up and walking to the door. It slammed shut behind him, and Inuyasha backed down slightly.

"Now, Inuyasha. Tell us _exactly_ what transpired between you and Kagome last night," Naraku instructed, sitting down and crossing his legs at the ankle. Inuyasha took a breath.

"I met her on the dance floor, we danced, and I didn't know it was her when I began the dance," he said, eyeing Sesshomaru's disapproving glare. "She told me she had been sent there to investigate a spy. I told her the same."

"Given the current situation, it would remain to be seen if this exchange of information will be a boon or a hindrance," Naraku stated. "Continue."

"We thought maybe, there might be a triple-agent…someone playing both sides against each other," Inuyasha explained.

"That seems possible, but such an endeavor would be pointless. What gain could be had by pitting two sides against each other, when they are already fighting?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I am not sure," Naraku admitted, bringing his hands up face and tapping his lips. "Continue."

"Then a bomb goes off the balcony, after you gave your speech. The guests scatter, she and I fight to the roof. The rest is as I told you, she fought Muso with me."

"Interesting…" Naraku mused. "And this mysterious faction that attacked kidnapped Mayor Wilkins' daughter…"

"Yeah, their leader on the roof was named Magatsuhi…Sess, show him the medal Muso was wearing." Sesshomaru picked up the medal from the desk and held it out to Naraku. The hanyou took it and examined it.

"Interesting…" Naraku said aloud. "Well if that's all then, I have no further questions."

"Nor do I. Inuyasha, return to your quarters and back your belongings," Sesshomaru instructed.

"What the hell for?" the hanyou cried.

"You're being sent back to the city, for leave. To rest and take some time off. You've had two stressful encounters with Kagome recently, clear your head. Just a week, return here in seven days and we'll continue."

"What the fuck did I do to deserve this?"

"Nothing, just…take a break."

"This is bullshit!"

"Inuyasha…please," Sesshomaru muttered. "Just go gather your belongings and wait in your quarters, I'll be by to clarify my request with you once I finish speaking to Naraku." Inuyasha glared, but climbed to his feet and marched out of the office, slamming the door behind him. Naraku twirled Muso's medal about his fingers, then lifted his eyes.

"Is he out of hearing range?" he whispered. Sesshomaru waited, then nodded. Naraku took a breath and lay the medal back on the desk. "You know what this medal means, Sesshomaru."

"Yes, I do," the taiyoukai agreed. "What I don't understand is why it's appeared. Why would the Order resurface now?"

"Well, what did Inuyasha tell you about Magatsuhi? Anything he didn't tell me?" Naraku asked. Sesshomaru thought for a moment.

"He did mention Magatsuhi said 'one of the three' was there…" he muttered. Naraku cursed under his breath.

"So the three rise up again and of course the Order is not far behind," Naraku said, standing up and pacing. "That medal is only Eighth Class. They have not unleashed their full might yet, but if Magatsuhi has reappeared then they must surely believe that the three are out there. How long has it been since last he showed his face?"

"Just over five hundred years ago, in Japan," Sesshomaru said. "You may be too young to remember though."

"I'm four hundred and sixty-two," Naraku replied curtly. "I may not have seen Magatsuhi's rampage myself, but I did see the fallout of it. We cannot allow a repeat of that. It is bad enough the war began again when we worked so hard to end it, but if we experience a repeat of the warring states era, in this age, with this level of technology…it would be an unprecedented apocalypse."

"That will not happen," Sesshomaru said. "We are fortunate that their place at the board has been revealed before they can finish gathering their hand. Now that we know the Order is an active force again, we can begin working against them. Already one of their number has fallen."

"Yes, the Eighth Class, their weakest, and your brother nearly got himself killed doing so. I for one do not look forward to when the higher classes make themselves known. I can only hope Magatsuhi stays out of the fight until we are in a position to fight him."

"Magatsuhi…" Sesshomaru whispered. "The first, oldest, and leading member of the Order…we cannot let him find the three. Does the youkai council know their locations?"

"No, the records were destroyed long ago. That's the whole reason the Order was founded, to hide the three from miko and youkai alike," Naraku explained. "Of course, that was before Magatsuhi perverted their purpose."

"The Order was created to keep youkai and miko from destroying themselves," Sesshomaru whispered, "and now they may be on the verge of destroying us both themselves…how bitterly ironic."

"I do love bitter ironies, but not when they are at my expense," Naraku admitted. "I must report this to the youkai council. I doubt the Order is only operating here, with the council informed we can expand our search globally. All the same, I want you to keep a particular look-out here, if the Order has returned and made their first strike here, they may strike here again."

"Yes. We have to begin to work to find the three before the Order does. I'll investigate this further here, the week's leave will keep Inuyasha from asking questions until I'm ready to give him appropriate answers. How soon can you return to the council?"

"I am always in contact with them, but an event of this magnitude will require a direct audience…I've not been to Horai Island in some time, but then I guess I am overdue for a return. I can leave tonight," Naraku said.

"Good, the faster we move the better."

"Agreed."

Naraku moved to the door, and looked over his shoulder.

"As you said, be sure when Inuyasha returns, you have appropriate answers Given his connection to the miko, any information we give him will be in jeopardy of being leaked. If we are fortunate, they need never know of this incident's true significance."

"Of course," Sesshomaru nodded. Naraku left his office, shutting the door behind him. Sesshomaru sat back in his chair and let out a long breath, reaching out and taking the medal on his desk between his thumb and forefinger. Holding it before his eye, he turned it to its back. _Kun-ko ki-sho…_

"As if this war wasn't dangerous enough already…"

**Clever readers may have already stumbled on my little plans for Magatsuhi…those who haven't, well, that will make it much more fun when I reveal his role in full.**


	8. Chapter 8

Love Thy Enemy

**So sorry this chapter is late. I offer no excuse but laziness.**

Chapter 8

"Let me see the ID," the guard barked. Inuyasha glared at him and pulled out his ID, identifying him by both his current army designation and his given name from the truce. "Inuyasha…you don't use the name Taisho anymore I assume?"

"No," the hanyou muttered.

"Alright. The rules for the city are as follows. First, you are not to engage in any type of physical or verbal altercation with anyone, especially mikos, or you will be ejected from the city. Second, you must check in with the War Registration Bureau as soon as you find a place to stay, and give them the address and phone number of that place. You must also check in with them at eight am, noon, and eight pm every day, and the calls must be from your registered address and phone number. You will also-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, I know the fucking rules," Inuyasha snapped. The guard glared at him.

"You will also abide by standing city law and will accept the penalties for breaking those laws. Now, how long are you staying?"

"A week."

"It is currently eight-fourteen am. You will report to the city gates by six am a week from today to be properly discharged, or you will be apprehended. Understand?"

"I got it."

"Fine. Enjoy your stay," the guard sneered, entering the guard both. The automated metal door for the gate slid open, and Inuyasha lifted his suitcase and marched through it. The lights on either side of the door flashed green and closed as another guard in another booth looked up.

"Alright sir, identify yourself by name, alignment and youkai breed."

"Inuyasha, youkai forces, inu-hanyou," Inuyasha droned. The guard nodded and wrote down the information on her clipboard.

"Do you have some source of funds for your time here?"

"Government-issue credit card."

"Very well. Any current plans for place of residence for your stay?"

"Not yet, I'll find a hotel, and yes I know to call the damn WRB and let them know when I do."

"You've been cleared for weapons before the gate?"

"Except for the ones on my fingertips? Yeah."

"Alright. You understand the WRB reserves the right to investigate you under any circumstances, these sources of investigation including random checks on your registered residence, telephone tapping, movement monitoring, momentary monitoring, and whatever other methods deemed appropriate?"

"Yes, I've been on leave before you know."

"Just standard procedure sir, we're done. Thank you for your cooperation."

Inuyasha nodded and moved past the gate. The War Registration Bureau was a sub-division of the War Affairs Organization. The human-run WAO had been established worldwide on the outbreak of the war, to keep humans out of and away from the war. Doing that meant having all miko and youkai give their personal information to the WRB whenever they entered a human city, to be tracked. The WRB was an absolute, but accepted and needed, invasion of youkai and miko privacy to keep the peace in the cities.

The city before Inuyasha looked a lot different in the daylight than it had the other night. Inuyasha tossed a glance down the street at the site of the attack. There were construction crews and police cars on the street. Several windows on the second floor had been blown out and were covered in hastily erected plywood panels. The explosion must have destroyed them. Inuyasha turned down a side street, not wanting to get too close in case someone recognized him.

The hanyou made his way down the street, not really having a destination in mind. Around him, a few people tossed him glances. Faint wisps of miko and youki auras teased his senses, but he ignored them; his mind was elsewhere.

Why had Sesshomaru discharged him? He didn't buy that 'clear his head' crap. Something was up with his brother. He didn't truly know him that well, but he knew him enough to know something was up. The medal came back to him. That had to be the key. Naraku and Sesshomaru knew a lot more than they were letting on, of that he was sure. Inuyasha knew he wasn't the most perceptive person, but he wasn't an idiot. That piece of metal had some sort of significance. He wondered how to go about finding out.

The hanyou raised his head to gather his bearings about the city, and had an idea. Smirking, he picked up the pace. He just hoped the old geezer was still around.

- - - - - - - - - -

Kagome drew back the bowstring, the material of her glove shifting position slightly. Narrowing her eyes, she released her fingers. The arrow flashed pink as it skewed through the air, slamming into the bulls-eye of the target across the field. A few of the trainees behind her applauded as Kagome lowered her bow.

"It's fairly easy to channel energy into the arrow," she instructed, turning around. "Enchanting objects with your energy is a simple matter of concentration and mental and physical strength. Simply imagine your aura flowing into the object, and it will work. Typically you'll have to be in close proximity, or more often physical contact. So the training today is to work on your pull of the bow and your accuracy. In time you'll have to perfect both – it doesn't matter how many times you fire if you can't hit your target, and it doesn't matter how accurately you can hit your target if they move before you take the shot. Understand?" The six new miko recruits nodded.

"Good. Then go to the stand and take your bows and quivers. If your shots seem off don't worry, we'll be customizing arrows and bows for your specific techniques later. Also, alert me if you start to get tired, enchanting the arrows may seem simple but it can be exhausting. Your typically miko can shoot fifty arrows before feeling the effects, but it varies. Don't push yourself. Now begin taking your shots."

The six moved aside and lined up after collecting their equipment. The air soon turned humid as miko energy flared up again and again, arrows striking targets with varying accuracy. Kagome stepped back and watch the recruits train. As miko they would have a natural affinity for archery, but affinity did not mean expertise, as two on the end were proving.

"It is good to see you're returning to your duties so early after the other night's failed mission," Kikyo said, observing the trainees with her.

"Why not? I'm not the one who leapt off a roof," Kagome shrugged.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised you so readily confessed to allying with him. I am also surprised the Elders did not reprimand you as harshly as they should have." Kikyo replied.

"We were up against an unknown number of enemies from an unknown source with unknown strength. Allying with Inuyasha against them was the natural thing to do in such a situation."

"I actually agree. I believe the Elders were more concerned with your mysterious attackers than the hanyou. We've never encountered such a being as this 'Muso' you described. To have no aura of either alignment…"

"I know. I'm not sure what to make of it either. But if that Magatsuhi guy was any indication, Muso was just the first of several."

"The question at hand is 'the first of several what'."

The two mikos fell silent and watched the six trainees continue their archery.

"Kikyo," a voice called. The elder miko turned to see Tsubaki standing in the door to the barracks. "I must speak with you."

"Of course. Excuse me Kagome." Kikyo turned and follows Tsubaki inside. "Well?"

"The Elders received new information from their contact," Tsubaki whispered. "It was the Order as they suspected."

"Damn," Kikyo muttered. "What are the orders?"

"Keep an eye out for any signs of the higher classes, and don't let Kagome know. She doesn't need to be aware of the significance of her battle."

"These are the orders of the Elders?"

"Yes."

Kikyo nodded and turned back to look at Kagome out the window.

"What am I to do if she starts asking questions?"

"Don't answer them."

"…how did the Elders find out about the Order?"

"That's classified."

"Hn."

Kikyo knew there were spies on both sides of the wars. It wasn't something she cared for. Wondering who was really on which side, only led to needless suspicion and paranoia. Neither was something she particularly liked. All the same, sometimes, there were secrets better left just that – secrets…

- - - - - - - - - -

"Welcome to the shelter sir," the desk clerk said, smiling through the glass. Inuyasha set his suitcase down and stepped up to the desk.

"Yeah…I'm looking for a pet. For a friend," Inuyasha replied. The dozens, hundreds of animal scents overwhelmed him, but the scent he was looking for was there.

"Alright, follow me in the back," the clerk said, stepping back. Inuyasha waited as she opened the door and followed her into the back. Rows of cages containing well-fed but otherwise lonely cats and dogs lined the walls. Inuyasha sniffed. Not here.

"You got any larger dogs?"

"Oh sure, this way." The clerk opened another door and led Inuyasha into another room. Several full-grown dogs lazed about in much larger areas in the walls, separated by glass. Inuyasha sniffed again. This seemed like the place.

"Thanks," he muttered, kneeling to look at a gold retriever. The animal turned an eye his way. There was a distant ring, and the clerk turned.

"Excuse me," she said. Inuyasha waited as she went to get the phone, and looked around.

"Hey, where are you?" he asked, looking around the room. His scent was strong, he was around somewhere. "Oi, ya old coward, come out, it's Inuyasha!"

"Inuyasha-sama?"

There was a pinprick on the back of Inuyasha's neck, and he narrowed his eyes.

"It _is_ you Inuyasha-sama! Long time no suck."

The hanyou reached back his hand and slapped his neck. There was a small groan of pain, and the hanyou brought his hand back, a small four-armed youkai hanging from between his fingertips.

"Oi! Myoga, I told you to stop that!"

"Sorry my lord, but you have the most delicious blood!" Myoga squirmed out of Inuyasha's grasp and perched on his nose.

"Suck again and I swat again," the hanyou growled.

"I won't, flea's honor!" Myoga vowed.

"Right. Get somewhere outta sight, we gotta talk private." Inuyasha moved back to the entrance to the pet shelter as Myoga hopped down into the collar of his white T-shirt.

"Thanks, didn't see anything though," he tossed over his shoulder, grabbing his suitcase. The clerk looked up at Inuyasha left. The hanyou walked down the street and ducked into an alley. He wrinkled his nose at the smell, but he needed someplace private.

"Alright, come out where I can see you," he ordered. Myoga hopped out of his shirt and onto the lid of a trashcan. "I wanna talk information," Inuyasha said. He had met Myoga a few decades ago when his mother had died and the flea had come to summon his to his father's guardianship. He had no use for Myoga during the truce, he was annoying as hell and not good for much with his size. However, once the truce ended, Toga had dispatched Myoga to keep watch on the city. No one noticed a flea spying on conversations, and his youki was so small that most miko didn't notice him either. Myoga usually hung out at animal shelters, unless he had been given an assignment.

"You have a new assignment from Sesshomaru my lord?"

"Fuck him, this is about me," Inuyasha muttered. "So this doesn't get back to him, got it?"

"Yes of course," Myoga agreed.

"Good. What does _kun-ko ki-sho _mean?"

"Hm…that's Japanese isn't it?"

"Yeah, what's it translate to?"

"I'm not really sure, but for some reason the phrase does sound familiar. Where did you hear it?"

"It was on the back of an old medal a guy was wearing," Inuyasha half-answered. Myoga crossed his four arms and looked down.

"A medal…curious. It doesn't ring a bell, though perhaps I could look around?"

"Sure. What about the names Muso and Magatsuhi?" Inuyasha asked. Myoga's head snapped up.

"You know of Magatsuhi?" he cried.

"Yeah, who is he?"

"Well, he lived about a century before my time. But according to the rumors, during the height of the youkai-miko wars five hundred years ago, Magatsuhi was one of the most powerful youkai alive. Even your great father was not so strong as to challenge him in combat."

"Really? This guy was stronger than the old man?" Inuyasha muttered. Toga was the most powerful youkai he knew of. How strong was Magatsuhi that even Toga wouldn't dare fight him?

"Oh yes, he was a terror, he held allegiance to neither youkai or miko and slaughtered both. Then, suddenly he was killed, and never spoken of again. Why do you ask of him, Inuyasha-sama?"

"Cause he ain't dead," Inuyasha replied.

"Impossible!" Myoga shrieked, hopping up and down. "He vanished, no one ever saw him again! Magatsuhi revelled in the thrill of combat, he would never have stepped away from the war willingly!"

"I saw him with my own eyes, he didn't seem too interested in fighting me," Inuyasha shrugged. Myoga calmed down.

"No, he wouldn't be I suppose."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Inuyasha snapped, leaning forward to glare at the flea.

"Ahhhh, I merely meant to say, he must be severely weakened, if he did indeed step away from the war on his own!" Myoga scrambled. Inuyasha stood up.

"I'm in town for a week, Sesshomaru sent me off on leave. I'll be in touch, you find out more about those words and Magatsuhi. Something's going on and I wanna know what."

"Why not ask yourself?" Myoga asked.

"Because Sesshomaru is being an ass and is the one not telling me," Inuyasha explained. "Now I'm gonna go find a hotel, you do you what you do best and poke around." Inuyasha turned and paused as he felt Myoga land on his neck again. "Not on me."

"Sorry, my lord."

Myoga hopped off and vanished into the alley as Inuyasha walked back onto the street. He knew the city fairly well from when he lived there, so he turned down the street and headed to where he knew a good hotel was.

As he stopped on the curb, a woman with red eyes and black hair watched him from across the street. She sipped her mocha latte and pulled out her cellphone, dialling.

_"Yes?"_

"Inuyasha just finished talking to the flea, about you no doubt," the woman said, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.

_"Don't worry about Myoga, he's smart but there's nothing for him to find. What about the hanyou?" _The woman lifted her crimson gaze to track Inuyasha as he crossed the street.

"He's heading for a hotel I think. Follow him?"

_"For now, but avoid fighting him and don't be seen. He's already got Muso, Abi, and you're simply too high ranking to be lost to that filth."_

"You know I can take that pathetic whelp, even without my halberd!" Abi hissed.

_"So could Muso, and look how that turned out. Just follow him and report his location, if we want to make a move, Byakuya is coming to the town in a few days. He's more expendable than you and is still strong enough for Inuyasha."_

"Understood. I'll follow him and call back once he's stopped moving." Abi hung up and stood up from her chair. She tossed a bill for her latte on the table and straightened out her skirt, before leaving the café and walking down the street after Inuyasha.


	9. Chapter 9

Love Thy Enemy

**A lot of flashbacks and exposition in this chapter, but it fills in a lot of needed background.**

Chapter 9

Inuyasha ducked under a rotting wooden beam as he walked through the alley, taking a shortcut. It had been a few years since he'd been here last, but it hadn't changed much. Exiting the alley, he looked up and down the street. Well, maybe it had changed a bit. The neighborhood hadn't been classy before, but now, it was an outright slum. Snorting, Inuyasha crossed the street and entered a four-story apartment complex.

The inside was a dull green paint on the halls, with a single door to the right with a plaque – "Landlord". The interior was the same – dirty, but not overly filthy. Inuyasha shrugged. He wasn't going to be long, no need to check in. He headed towards the staircase and tripped to the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" the hanyou yelled, looking down at the loose floorboard. Same one as all those times before. He climbed to his feet and put a foot on the bottom of the stairs.

"I know that cursing."

Inuyasha stopped and rolled his eyes, turning. The door opened, and an elderly woman in a white sweater and a dark blue skirt shuffled out, glaring at him with one grey eye – the other was covered with a black eye patch.

"Taisho, come crawling back have ye?" the woman smirked knowingly.

"What do you want Kaede?" Inuyasha said.

"Ye never paid ye last month's rent!" Kaede said. "Eight hundred, forty-three dollars and twenty-five cents."

"Send me a bill."

"I did, three times, and ye never sent them back."

"Whatever. Can I check out the old place?"

"Eh?" Kaede frowned, turning inside her apartment. "Are ye two moving back after all?"

"No, just…two?" Inuyasha asked.

"Aye, that nice Kagome lass ye were so sweet on came by a few days ago," Kaede called from inside. "I hadn't seen her two in years. How is she doing?"

"Um…she's alright," Inuyasha muttered. Kaede emerged with the key.

"And last I saw ye, ye brother had conscripted ye. How that faring?" she asked, tossing the hanyou the key.

"Like hell," Inuyasha caught the key. "I'm on leave for a week, I'm not moving back but I need a place to stay. How about it?"

"Ye'll pay the rent?"

"I got an army-issue credit card. You got any problem with the youkai government footing the bill?"

"None at all. Go on up, the apartment is just as ye left it." Kaede smiled and retreated back into her room. Inuyasha grunted and marched up the stairs, ignoring the second floor doors and climbing to the third. There were five doors, two at either end of the hall, two on the left wall and one on the right. Inuyasha sighed and headed to the door at the end of the hall, lifting the key and sliding it into the lock. It clicked open, and the hanyou pushed open the door.

The apartment was dark, and Inuyasha turned the light on then looked around. Kaede had obviously maintained it. The floors were clean, sheets covered the furniture, the various odds and ends he had left behind had been packed into a handful of boxes. Inuyasha pulled the sheet off the sofa, bunching it up and tossing it aside before sitting down. He reached over to one of the boxes on the floor and picked it up, opening the lid. He reached over to the end table to turn on an old lamp, the same lamp on the table as before. Inside the box…the same cordless telephone, the same little red address book. He picked it up and blew off the thin layer of dust, coughing a bit, and opened it. Numbers and names he only vaguely remembered now.

"I haven't spoken to any of these guys since I left," he realized, turning the page. Of course, that was no surprise, most of the youkai in the book had also been conscripted, and the humans were out of contact for him. Inuyasha tossed the book back into the box and pulled out the phone. He looked it over and dropped it back in, the phone lines had probably been disconnected anyway. Sighing, he stood up and moved into the kitchen/dining room combination.

More thin dust layers and sheets. Inuyasha reached over to flick the light switch, and the bulb blew out. The room remained in shadow as he examined the empty cupboards and countertops. Images superimposed themselves over reality in his mind's eye. He had put the microwave there, toaster in that corner. That self was for plates, that one for cups…

- - - - - - - - - -

_"It's not hard to keep a kitchen organized, you just group the dishes together properly."_

_"I don't need you to organize my stuff for me, wench, I know where everything is and that's what matters."_

_"Fine, I want a drink, where's the cups?"_

_"Um…there's a few up there, a few over there, I see one in the living room from here…"_

_"I rest my case, now shut up and help or get out of my kitchen."_

_"Since when did it become yours?"_

_"Since I unpacked this morning."_

- - - - - - - - - -

Bringing order to his life had been the first thing Kagome had done when she moved into Inuyasha's apartment. Some ways she had done it on purpose, in some ways she did it without realizing. Kagome had been the first stable thing in his life since his mother had died a little under a century ago. Before he met her, he mostly just drifted from place to place, job to job, no real concerns or plans for tomorrow. Even with tensions between the miko and the youkai tight, hanyou were still discriminated again, and Inuyasha had gotten used to the suspicion he may not wake up in the morning.

The turn of the century was still a dangerous time. The truce between miko and youkai set back in the sengoku jidai era was stable, but barely as it always had been. Izayoi took care of him by herself, relying on the money sent to them by Inuyasha's father to get by along with her own meagre job. Sesshomaru delivered the money on a monthly basis, which is how he had first gotten to know his elder half-brother.

- - - - - - - - - -

_"I don't need your charity, just leave!"_

_Inuyasha looked up from his book and stood, walking to the door. He peered through the crack at his mother glaring at a man with silver hair and fine clothing._

_"Father is insistent you allow him to provide for you. Even if you are not his wife, the whelp is his son, and he will be done right by our family," Sesshomaru answered coldly._

_"The only thing I ever wanted from Toga Taisho was love, and he threw me on the street!" Izayoi shrieked. "His little indiscretions came back to him so now we're just another bill to be paid each month?"_

_"Yes, and nothing more. We are one of the most well respected youkai families in Japan. I would expect you to be grateful for us even associating with you."_

_"The only thing I'm grateful for is your bastard father showing his true colors to me before I became nothing but his whore."_

_"Are you so certain it was 'before'?"_

_Izayoi gasped and swung her hand up. Sesshomaru caught her wrist before and glared at her._

_"Mommy?" The two turned their heads as Inuyasha came out into the hall._

_"Go back inside sweetie," Izayoi ordered._

_"So this is the whelp," Sesshomaru sneered. "Pathetic hanyou rat."_

_"That hanyou is your brother!" Izayoi scowled._

_"I have a brother?" Inuyasha asked, tilting his head back to stare at Sesshomaru._

_"_Half-_brother, and only half-youkai too," Sesshomaru said. "And not worthy of even half of either of those honors."_

_"What will it take to get rid of you before you scar him anymore?" Izayoi demanded. Sesshomaru turned his eyes towards her, and held up the envelope. Izayoi snatched it. "Now get out of my home."_

_"With great pleasure." Sesshomaru turned and marched out the door, closing it behind him._

- - - - - - - - - -

Sesshomaru's monthly visits continued until his mother fell sick and died just after he had finished his education. He took to the road after the funeral, staying well away from his brother, father and the name Taisho. He took his mother's name, her belongings and ideals and moved across the country. It had worked, until the 1980's. Sesshomaru showed up on his doorstep once again like he had so many times decades ago. Toga had ordered his rogue hanyou son tracked down and brought to him.

That had been the first, and so far only time Inuyasha had met his father. Toga had told him in as many words, he was still his blood and he would honor that blood whether he wanted to or not. The taiyoukai had chosen about the most inopportune time to force this on Inuyasha, but in the end he had left little room for argument. Inuyasha's name was changed to Taisho, he was given standing and responsibility in the youkai hierarchy and was given funding from his father. He rejected the latter two, again walking away from the duties he was being forced to take up. Toga and Sesshomaru had done nothing for him, and he spent the better part of the next two and a half decades returning the favor.

It had been around that time, about four years ago, that he had met Kagome. She was one of a handful of people who didn't automatically pity or hate him for being hanyou. She saw him as him, foul mouth lousy work habits and all. And she helped him. She made him into a better person, bit by bit, and wormed her way under his skin until the night he kissed her while she helped him prepare for a meeting. It was after that she had moved in with him. And it was a mere two months later that the phone rang, and Inuyasha's family found him again.

- - - - - - - - - -

_"What do you want?" Inuyasha asked, crossing his arms. Sesshomaru sipped his coffee on the café table and took his time answering._

_"You know what is happening in the youkai world, I hope," he said._

_"Yeah, something about a war stirring," Inuyasha nodded. "What's that got to do with me?"_

_"Father and I are calling upon you to serve in the youkai military."_

_"Like fuck," Inuyasha snarled._

_"I am afraid you have no choice in the matter. As you are royal blood, you must serve in some capacity. There is simply no other matter, it is youkai law."_

_"Nice try, I'm living in a human city, youkai law doesn't apply to me," Inuyasha said._

_"Human laws only override youkai law when they are in direct conflict with each other," Sesshomaru corrected. "And there is no human law which states you cannot be conscripted."_

_"Conscripted? So you're forcing me to join?" Inuyasha asked in disbelief._

_"Yes. Either you will serve, or we will imprison you. However…" Sesshomaru locked eyes with his half-brother. "I sincerely hope it will not come to that. We have not been close family to you, Inuyasha, due to reluctances on all parties involved. But if you will allow it, we can make it up to you. Fight for us, and we will give anything you desire within reason."_

_"You still don't get it, there's not a thing I want from either you or the old man," Inuyasha muttered._

_"Then fight for us, and we will give you back something…your name," Sesshomaru said. Inuyasha thought for a moment. A legal restriction had been placed on him once his father forced him to change his name to Taisho. If it was lifted, he could take his mother's name again…_

_"You'll do that?" Inuyasha asked._

_"Yes. You may have dishonored us thus far, but honor us in battle and we will do the same," Sesshomaru nodded._

_"…alright. Just, let me tell Kagome."_

- - - - - - - - - -

That night was his last night together with the miko. In another, more intimate way, it had been their first night together. He returned to their apartment to find she had received a conscription notice in the mail. The two of them begged the other for some sort of way out, but there was none. Under the laws of their respective sides, youkai and miko, they would either serve or be imprisoned. Realizing what it meant, Kagome had asked for one more night with him, and he obliged, taking her into the bed and showing her for the first and last time how much she meant to him.

The next morning she was gone, and the next time Inuyasha saw her was in the heat of battle. It was then their relationship turned from affection to a rivalry. She had bested him most of the time, although Inuyasha had also claimed his share of victories. His relationship with Sesshomaru had begun to improve slightly, his elder brother looking out for him as best his position would allow.

_"I gave up everything…" _Inuyasha thought bitterly. _"They took my name, my privacy, my life, my girlfriend…and then they took my freedom in exchange for a promise that I could get it back someday." _

Standing and moving to the window, Inuyasha took a breath and parted a filthy curtain to stare over the city skyline. Now he remembered why he hated this damn war.


	10. Chapter 10

**Forgive my absence, dear readers. My PC is gone for a while, and my parents laptop has only recently alleviated the problem. To make up for it, I drop a fairly-big hint on the actual plot beyond Inuyasha and Kagome – if you can pursue that hint properly, that is. ;)**

Love Thy Enemy

Chapter 10

"The war is based on the ancient youkai-miko blood feud. This dates back centuries, to when the two species would try to exterminate each other. Youkai and Miko simply cannot co-exist for extended periods of time, it goes against their very nature. In retrospect it is amazing they held the truce as long as they did."

"But Professor, why did the truce break?"

"Well as I said it is their nature to fight each other, there is no long-term peace capable between them. It's like a cat with water, everything about the cat's natural instincts tell it that water is dangerous and to avoid it. Thus, as the miko is the youkai's naturally enemy and vice-versa, it's simply in their instincts to hate each other. I wrote a paper, a few years ago, detailing…"

"Fucking asshole doesn't know shit," Inuyasha cursed, muting the talk show with the egghead Professor talking about his book. He hated it when humans presumed to understand the ways of the youkai. A lot of the youkai around these days were in the history books that same professor had likely studied. He had no right and no place to try and understand them.

Standing and moving to the kitchen, Inuyasha opened the fridge and grabbed a beer, popping the cap off and taking a long drink. Three days, so far. Three days of sitting on his ass doing nothing but…well, sitting on his ass. His unofficial vacation was half-over. Sesshomaru had actually called yesterday to check on him. He had given his half-brother a few choice four-letter words. He hated being idle, always had. Sitting around was never his thing, he hadn't been one for inaction before during the truce and wasn't now.

Walking back into the living room of the apartment, the TV now showing commercials, Inuyasha glanced around at the boxes lying around. Most were personal possessions he had been forced to leave behind when he left to join the youkai militia. He leaned down to one box and picked up something random. It was a sash from some club  
Kagome had joined with him, some sort of eco-saver crap. A small green cloth medal with a gold and red tree was on the sash.

The medal on Muso re-entered his mind. Myoga hadn't gotten back to him about those "kun-ko ki-sho" words yet. He trusted the old fool to deliver, he was devoted to the Taisho family if nothing else. Still, Myoga's loyalties weren't entirely absolute, just strong. What if Sesshomaru had gotten to him? Myoga may have been loyal to the Taisho family, but Inuyasha was only half Taisho, Sesshomaru was all.

Inuyasha knew he brother knew something about what had happened that night at the party. There was something about Muso and Magatsuhi he didn't like. Myoga had said Magatsuhi was one of the most powerful youkai alive until he had gone into hiding. So why go underground for five centuries and only come back now when you're so strong? Inuyasha shook his head. It didn't make any sense to him, but it did to someone. He unmated the TV. Some scientist guy was on, gesturing to some sort of diagram of something or other.

"The research is only the tip of something far greater, we're on the precipice of something incredible. Once we continue the investigation we're going to be making breakthroughs and discoveries unlike anything we could imagine."

"Hm," Inuyasha grunted, not particularly appreciating the irony of the words. He looked down at the sash in his hands again.

"I wonder what Kagome's doing now."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Is that all you've got?"

Katanas flashed, and Kagome ducked and sliced, tearing apart the two youkai. The Naginata of Kenkon's holy energy sliced the air in its wake, and the two youkai vanished in bursts of pink energy. Kagome gasped for breath and stood up as the pounding on the door outside increased.

"What the hell did they want me here for anyway?" she hissed, wincing as a cut on her arm sent pain up the limb's length.

- - - - - - - - - -

_"You're being air-lifted to a dock at the seaport. A shipping vessel is arriving from overseas this afternoon. Your assignment is to ensure the designated cargo reaches the compound unharmed."_

_"Great, bodyguard duty," Kagome grunted, stretching on the mat in her room. "What's in the cargo?"_

_"I can't tell you that," Kikyo replied._

_"Fine, keep your secrets."_

_"No, I mean I can't tell you that because I don't know," Kikyo explained. Kagome gave her an odd look as she came up in a sit-up._

_"Really?"_

_"Yes. I do not know what the cargo is, all I know is what the Elders have told me."_

_"Wow," Kagome said, standing. "So when do I leave?"_

_"Now. Get dressed."_

- - - - - - - - - -

"Can't even tell me why I'm here," Kagome growled, looking over her shoulder. Behind her was a small crate wrapped in chains and warded with several ofuda. That, according to the captain who had met her at the docks, was the mysterious cargo she was meant to guard.

The ship's ramp had extended and touched the pier when the youkai attacked. How they apparently knew what was being transported, Kagome didn't know, but she hadn't paused to ask them. The docks security was laughable, even with the three miko archers aboard the ship. The collective foursome had only held the ramp for a few moments before Kagome was forced to fall back to the cargo hold.

The pounding increased again, and finally, a long, thing slice appeared on the metal. So they did have brains after all. Kagome drew the Naginata behind her, and with a cry, swung it forward. A crescent-shaped beam of pink energy arced through the air as a youkai poked its head through the slash on the door. It squealed as the beam slammed into it, purifying it in an instant.

"Come on, I can do this all day!" Kagome roared, drawing the Naginata back for another blast. She was grandstanding, she knew, her strength was already waning and using her miko powers directly instead of relying on the latent powers of the Naginata wasn't going to help. Suddenly, the pounding stopped, and Kagome stepped back, unsure. Then, there was a flash through the small window of vision granted by the slash in the door, before the entire door exploded.

Kagome cried out and raised an arm as shards of metal rained down around the room. Coughing at the smoke, she waved the two-bladed sword in the air to clear her field of vision.

"Stopped by one miko. You pathetic rabble."

Kagome lifted her head as a woman stepped through the large hole blasted in the door. A long black cloak mixed with black hair, not too much longer than Kagome's own, although it wasn't as thick. Pointed ears, claws and red eyes betrayed the woman as youkai, but for some reason Kagome couldn't sense any sort of aura from her. A long, thin metal shaft was clutched in her hand, ending in a three-pointed halberd head.

"Who are you?" she demanded, stepping back and raising the Naginata. The woman looked around the cargo hold with disinterest.

"My name is Abi. You?" she replied, bored.

"Kagome, remember it."

"Hm, I'll try," Abi said, turning her gaze to the miko. Her red eyes flashed as they rested on the chained and warded box behind Kagome. "Yes!" she cried, stepping forward. Kagome raised the Naginata and swung it, sending a wave of energy at the ground. Abi stopped her advance as the holy power dispersed at her feet and reached for the collar of her black cloak.

"Ha ha ha…foolish miko," Abi sneered, casting off her coat. Kagome studied the odd uniform. Antiquated bone and iron covered Abi's shoulders with a suit of tinted red leather over her chest and stomach. A knee-length pleated black skirt covered her legs. Kagome's eyes widened. Pinned on Abi's chest was a small red, gold and silver medal. It looked familiar somehow. "Do you honestly think your powers will do any good against a member of the Order?" Abi asked.

"The what?" Kagome asked, confused. She had seen that medal before. But from where?

"You have the audacity to dispatch Muso, and you don't even know us? How sad. Then, do you know what lies in that box?" Abi asked, frowning. Was this the great guardian sent to protect one of the three?

"No, but it doesn't matter, you're not getting it," Kagome replied. Muso, that was it! Abi's medal was similar to the one the man Muso had worn the night she had fought alongside Inuyasha. But…Abi's was different. It looked…more elaborate, somehow. Abi laughed again.

"How sad, the miko send someone to guard the treasure and they don't even tell her what it is she is to die for?" she chuckled, shaking her head. "I feel genuinely sorry for you…Kagome, was it? Ah well, no matter. You may be naïve, but you have courage, to stand against the Order. I shall reward this, by allowing you a glimpse of the glorious artifact in that box, before you die."

Abi cried and leapt forward, swinging her halberd over her head. Kagome jumped back and swung the Naginata of Kenkon. The halberd head and one of the Naginata's twin blades clashes in a flash of sparks, and Abi swung, forcing the weapons apart. Kagome spun and brought the Naginata down again. Abi caught the blow on the shaft of her halberd and knocked the two-bladed sword away with a flick of her wrist.

_"She's toying with me?" _Kagome thought angrily, the Naginata whistling through the air. Abi caught every strike with ease and deflecting it with small movements of her hand, neither countering Kagome's strikes nor being pushed back by them. The Naginata sliced in from the right, Abi's halberd caught the strike, pitching it upwards and swinging the shaft of the weapon at the ground. Kagome cried out as the shaft slammed into her leg, knocking her off-balance. She fell forward, and Abi spun, slamming her hell into Kagome's face. Kagome flew backwards, slamming against the ground heavily, blood leaking from her mouth.

"Come now, miko," Abi called, flicking out her halberd behind her. Kagome turned over and spat blood on the floor, grabbing the handle of her sword and using the Naginata to push herself up. "I'm just starting to be entertained," Abi continuing, smiling. "Don't disappoint me now." Kagome turned to her and licked red-stained lips before charging.

Naginata and halberd clanged and clashed off each other, sending showers of sparks into the air. Kagome raised the Naginata overhead and brought it down, waves of pink energy rippling up and down the blades. Abi raised her halberd and caught the strike, the pulses of miko energy heating the air. Kagome smirked and reached down to press the hidden catch on the Naginata's handle. The second blade detached, and Kagome swung it out. Abi gasped and jumped back, narrowly avoiding a thrust at her stomach. Kagome smiled and twirled the two kodachi about her fingertips for a moment before snapping their handles back together.

"Not bad," Abi admitted. "Alright, enough playing around." This time, Abi advanced, and Kagome raised the Naginata to block the halberd aimed at her face. Abi lifted a leg and spun, knocking away the Naginata. Kagome gasped as Abi's foot hooked behind her ankle and her hand wrapped around her neck. Abi's other hand, clutching her halberd, kept the Naginata in Kagome's hand tucked under the blade.

"You fought well," Abi offered, smiling. Then, with a cry, Abi spun, flinging Kagome through the air. Kagome hit the wall with a groan and slumped down. The Naginata clanged beside her. The miko coughed, more blood dripping from her mouth, and she raised her eyes to stare at Abi. The woman let out a snort and turned away from her. Abi walked up to the box, the wards and chains crackling as she neared.

"Pathetic miko wretches," Abi sneered. "Did they think these wards would stop us?" With a small cry, Abi brought up her halberd and slammed it down on the box. The chains broke apart under the force, and with a pulse of energy, the ofuda on the box burst into flame and turned to ash. Grinning, Abi lifted her free hand and lifted the lid of the box.

The youkai at the door of the cargo hold held their breath as Abi reached into the box. Her vision blurring, Kagome forced herself to focus on the item in Abi's hand. It was a necklace. Abi lifted it gingerly, staring at it in fascination. The necklace had a series of blue beads, every five beads separated by a white bead shaped like a curved, crescent-like teardrop. A larger bead of the same shape, but bright green and carved from jade, hung from the bottom of the necklace.

"Lady Abi…" one of the youkai breathed. "Is it genuine?"

"It is," Abi whispered, turning the necklace over in her fingers. "_Yasakani no Magatama…" _Abi tucked the necklace into her clothing. "One down. Let's go, we must get the magatama to safety." The youkai nodded as Abi turned on her heel and marched towards the door. Kagome grimaced and grabbed the Naginata, climbing to her feet.

"N…" she gasped. Abi stopped and looked over her shoulder at the miko. "N…no!" Kagome shouted, running. Abi growled and turned, catching Kagome's weakened strike on her halberd.

"Insolent miko!" she roared. Kagome's eyes went wide as Abi's glowed red, her raven hair fluttering behind her. "Know your place and lick my feet!" Abi shrieked, bringing back her halberd and slashing. Kagome cried out as the blade carved a crimson crescent down her chest, and stumbled back, dropping her weapon. Abi twirled her halberd, orange and red light gathering on its blade.

With a roar, Abi swung the halberd and unleashed a wave of flame from the head.  
Kagome screamed as a cocoon of fire wrapped around her, not touching her but still searing her with the heat. Lips curling up in a sadistic grin, Abi swung the halberd back, and the flames receded. Her clothing smoking, Kagome fell to her knees, eyes blank. Her hands didn't even come out to stop her fall as her head hit the steel floor of the ship. Abi knelt down, sliding a claw forward to tilt Kagome's head up.

"I know you can hear me, little miko," she whispered. "You won't die, had I wanted you dead you would be. But you amused me, for a time. And I look forward to perhaps playing with you again, if you survive to see me again." Letting Kagome's hehad drop back down, Abi rose up and turned, leading her youkai minions from the cargo hold, tilting down her halberd and flipping her coat up from the floor and over her shoulder on the way.

Behind her, Kagome slowly blinked, her eyes gaining life again

"Inu…yasha…" she murmured, moving her hand out. Fingers reached out across the cargo hold as footsteps pounded around her, reaching for something only she could see.

"Holy shit, what happened to her?"

"Get her on the stretcher and down to the doctor now!"

"Severe burns, lacerations to the stomach, no telling if she has any internal injuries. Bleeding from the mouth though, it's likely…"

Kagome vaguely registered something sliding under her – the stretcher – before she blacked out.


	11. Chapter 11

Love Thy Enemy

Chapter 11

Kagome woke up in stages. First, she realized her stomach itched. Then she realized she was hungry. Then, she began aware of the various tubes stuck on her body. Kagome opened her eyes. She lay propped up in a hospital bed, an IV stuck in her arm and a blood pressure monitor on her finger. She looked down at her other, itchy arm, and noticed a small bruise with a hole near the center. They must have given her a needle or something.

"You're awake," Kikyo said from the bedside, catching Kagome's attention. Kagome blinked at her.

"What happened?" she whispered, her memory fuzzy. "I…wait…was there fire?"

"You sustained severe first and second degree burns, yes," Kikyo nodded. "It is fortunate our healers got to you when they did. You'll make a full recovery."

"Great…how long was I out?"

"It's been a little less than a day."

"Can I get some grub or is that not allowed?" Kagome said, moving to sit up. Kikyo quickly stood and gently but firmly pushed her back down.

"You should stay back, you need your strength," Kikyo insisted. Kagome gave her a confused look. Kikyo seemed…apprehensive.

"What is it?" she demanded. "What am I not remembering?" Kikyo closed her eyes.

"Kagome, we healed your wounds as best we could but-"

"But _what_, Kikyo!?" Kagome roared. She reached up to scratch that irritating itch on her stomach, and her hand stopped. Kagome looked down at the pale blue hospital gown she was wearing. "Why does my gown open down the front?" she asked, lifting her eyes. Kikyo opened her eyes and met them. Kagome scowled and brought her other hand up, undoing the ties holding the gown closed.

A long, curved scar ran up Kagome's body, beginning near her right hip and curving left and up to end just under her right breast. Kagome gasped, panting for breath. Memories flooded back to her, and she screamed, her hands shooting out to latch onto the bars on the side of the bed.

"Kagome, calm down!" Kikyo cried, jumping to her feet and trying to hold her down. Kagome's arm near her moved to latch onto Kikyo's wrist. The miko stared ahead, eyes wide.

"I…" Kagome said. Kikyo waited for several moments as Kagome stopped panting and calmed down. Then, she blinked and opened watery eyes. "I though…I was going to die," Kagome whimpered, sobbing. The memories were back, and vivid. The pain, the helplessness…the flames…"

"It's alright, you know the best healers we have work here. You're fine, you'll be good as new in no time, you'll see," Kikyo soothed. Kagome slowed her crying. "Kagome, what happened to you?" she asked. Kagome closed her eyes.

"I…was fighting…there was a woman," she said slowly. "She was strong…too strong…she beat me, and she wasn't even trying…I've never felt so weak before…"

"Take your time."

"Yeah…she opened the box, took what was inside…I tried to stop her. She…the fire…" Kagome's eyes clenched shut even tighter as she finished.

"Okay, rest now," Kikyo said, standing. "I'm going to let the doctor know you're awake so she can come take a look at you." The elder miko walked to the door.

"Necklace!" Kagome cried. Kikyo frowned and turned. "In the box, that the woman, ah…Abi! Abi, in the box, a necklace!" Kagome clarified.

"A necklace?"

"Yeah, uh…Yasakani no Magatama, or something," Kagome nodded. "She said…she was a member of the Order," Kikyo felt a shiver run down her back.

"Thank you, Kagome," she said, leaving. She picked up the pace and rushed to the nurse station. "Kagome Higurashi is awake," she called to them, running to the elevators.

- - - - - - - - - -

"The weapons shipment from France has been received, but it's of a lower quality than promised," one of the elders, a houshi, read from a sheet of paperwork. A murmur of disapproval circled the other three mikos and a second houshi sitting at the circular table. The France weapons suppliers were honest, but foolish human craftsmen. This had not been the first time their weapons had not been up to standards.

"What shall we do then?" the houshi asked. "Obviously we cannot allow repeated failure of our contract to go unpunished."

"True, but we cannot lose that contract, the prices they demand are too affordable to forfeit," a miko countered.

"Excuse me, elders." The five elders turned to the guard peeking inside the room. "I am sorry to interrupt, but Kikyo Itoshi is here. She says she has urgent news." The five elders looked among themselves before a miko answered.

"Send her in," she commanded. The guard nodded and closed the door. A few moments later, Kikyo pushed open the door and approached the table, kneeling.

"Thank you for seeing me, elders," she whispered.

"Stand, Kikyo, and speak," the miko said. Kikyo stood.

"Lady Midoriko, Kagome Higurashi has awoken, and she has told me something you must hear," she said. The elders looked uncomfortable. Midoriko narrowed her eyes. Kikyo new the law of the elders – no one elder had his or her word valued more or less than any other. The elders alone had no power, it was as a unified body they ruled the miko. Midoriko was the voice of the elders, at least when Kikyo was summoned, but she knew that Midoriko was not the leader, no elder was.

"The elders would hear what she had told you," a houshi ordered. Kikyo nodded.

"I am grieved to report that she failed to protect the precious cargo you tasked her with," she said.

"The elders are aware of this, and they shall deliver consequences when needed," one of the miko replied.

"I believe that no consequences should be inflicted…Kagome said she fought a woman named Abi, who claimed to be a member of the Order." The elders shared a gasp, and whispered for a moment. Kikyo knew then, this was unexpected. The elders always had their affairs in order when they called an audience, they had no need to speak among themselves when seeing someone. After a moment or two, they calmed down.

"The elders were unaware of this," Midoriko said slowly, "and they thank you for this. Continue, Kikyo."

"She said that Abi retrieved what was in the cargo…she called it 'Yasakani no Magatama'," Kikyo finished. Midoriko nodded grimly.

"The elders are greatly stressed to hear of these events, and they will require time to reach a decision. You are dismissed, Kikyo," she said. Kikyo bowed and quietly left the room. Midoriko sat down with a sigh.

"They have found one the three," she said, clasping her hands.

"Time is running out."

"Magatsuhi's alliance with the youkai gives him an advantage."

"We must act quickly to find a second."

"If the youkai acquire all three…"

The council fell silent from their outburst. Finally, one of the miko spoke.

"We must discern the location of the remaining two treasures before Magatsuhi. We cannot allow the three treasures to fall into youkai hands."

"The line that was broken cannot be remade by youkai claws, the blood of the Minamoto has been lost. Even if the youkai find the three, they cannot access their power."

"Unless, the line that was broken, has not been broken. Perhaps the Minamoto bloodline has survived."

"That…would be disastrous."

"Then we will discover if it is true," Midoriko said. The other elders nodded.

"We will send operatives to investigate the fate of the Minamoto bloodline and the remaining two treasures. We must find and protect any and all of them, no matter the cost. The heir of Minamoto cannot fall into youkai hands!"

- - - - - - - - - -

"Nineteen…twenty!" Rin turned around and looked around the courtyard. "I'm coming Shippo!" the kitsune didn't reply, and Rin ran around the courtyard, looking behind the pillars on the terrace surrounding the area. There were a few sparse trees and rocks, but enough that finding Shippo was difficult. Hide and seek became a lot harder when your opponent could shapeshift.

"Hm…" Rin spied a rock and approached it, standing beside it. She looked around it. Sesshomaru had taught her to be observant and careful. And the grass was growing too well beneath and beside this rock for it to be natural…

"What would he have turned into….a rock?" Rin looked down at the rock in question, and shook her head. "Nah, Shippo is way too clever to turn into some stupid old rock. Besides," Rin jumped back slightly and landed on top of the rock. She smirked at the barely muffled grunt. "This rock is waaay too big to be Shippo, he's not that fat." Rin sighed and started kicking her feet into the air, letting them fall back to hit the rock underneath her. She kept it up for a moment.

"Alright alright!" Shippo's voice rang out. The rock underneath Rin vanished in a puff of smoke, and she fell on top of Shippo laughing, pushing him to the ground.

"Gotcha!" Rin giggled, sitting back on his legs. Shippo glared at her.

"That hurt you know, why'd you have to do that?" he grumbled, sitting up. Rin shoved him back down.

"Aw, the big strong kitsune got beaten by a girl," she teased, tapping a finger on his chest. "And here I thought you had muscles, but it turns out its just flab. Oh well."

"I'm strong enough to take ya," Shippo said, sitting up.

"Really?" Rin pushed him back down and held her hands on his chest, leaning over with a smirk. "Doesn't look like it to me. In fact, I've pushed you back down twice now."

"I'm going easy on ya," Shippo grinned. Rin squeaked as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rolled, pinning her to the ground underneath him. "See?"

"You caught me offguard!" Rin protested, sticking out her tongue. Shippo grinned and shook his head.

"Yo, rugrats!" Shippo jumped off of Rin and stood up, his face flushing red. Kouga stood at the northern entrance to the courtyard. "You doing something you shouldn't be doing in public?" Kouga asked. Shippo glared at him as Rin climbed to her feet.

"We're not doing a thing Kouga, we were just playing, having some fun," she called.

"I never said it's not _fun_, you just shouldn't do it in public," Kouga said. Shippo blushed again, but Rin didn't notice. "Anyway, Rin, Mr. Tall, White and Fluffy wants to talk to you," Kouga continued. Rin giggled at his nickname around her for Sesshomaru.

"Sure! See ya Shippo!" Shippo watched quietly as Rin skipped away, humming. Kouga waited until she was inside before approaching Shippo with a knowing grin.

"Do I see a little something-something going on?" the ookami said.

"Like what?" Shippo said, pushing past him. Kouga put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I ain't stupid kid, I saw what was going on there even if Rin didn't."

"We were just playing."

"Yeah? Well what you call playing, I call 'flirting'. I know what I saw."

"What would you know about women, the last time you saw a breast was when I saw nursing from them," Shippo said, turning his head to glare at Kouga.

"You got a lip on ya kid, I'll give you that. Look, I'm just saying, she's still a kid."

"Rin is a lot more mature than you think!" Shippo snapped, pulling away from Kouga's grasp. "That's why she hangs around me, because I don't treat her like a kid!"

"Well you're not treating her like an adult either," Kouga said. "The fact is you're both kids, and yeah you're technically older than her, but in youkai terms, you're a kid all the same."

"Will you stop using that word!" Shippo yelled. "I'm not a kid!"

"Then what are you?" Kouga asked, all traces of banter and teasing gone. "Look, I'm about seven, eight times your age, _kid_, so you can either curse me out or shut up and listen." Shippo looked ready to protest again, but held his tongue. "Good. Now, I'm two-hundred and thirty-seven, you're thiry-six. I ain't even started looking for a mate yet. And I didn't even look at women until I was in my eighties. You two looked ready to start kissing over there."

"What's your point?" Shippo muttered.

"My point is you're too young to get in over your head with a woman just yet. Shippo, fact is, human and youkai relationships only end one way – the human dies. You wanna watch your mate die when you're not even a hundred and fifty, hm? Because even if Rin lives to be a hundred it's barely a fraction of what you'll live to be. You want that hanging over your life?"

"I'm not looking at Rin as a mate, I just like her, okay?"

"Fine, as long as it's 'just'. I get it, Rin's a sweet girl. Just remember that before you do something stupid."

Shippo was silent for a moment before walking away from Kouga and out of the courtyard. The kitsune stopped on the terrace.

"I appreciate the advice. But with all due respect Kouga, what would you know about love?" Shippo asked. Kouga didn't respond. "That's what I thought." Kouga watched as Shippo left, and thought for a moment.

"You'd be surprised, kid," he muttered. "You'd be surprised."


	12. Chapter 12

Love Thy Enemy

**Okay, I've had my fun dropping vague hints here and there. Read on for some long-overdue explanations.**

**Also, you'll notice the story's title has changed. I just liked the sound of this title much better, never was too fond of 'Love Me, Kill Me'.**

Chapter 12

"Please come in, lord Sesshomaru," the maid said, stepping from the door. Sesshomaru entered the sprawling manor house, looking around with disinterest. He had been to Naraku's home before, but the ambassador always managed to find some new bust or painting to decorate it. Two doors on either side of the hall led to the rest of the mansion, while a large staircase led to the balcony across from the front door.

"Master Naraku is in the lounge," the maid said. Sesshomaru nodded and ascended the staircase to the second floor, running a claw along the polished dark wood. Soft piano music reached his pointed ears, and he followed the sound down the hall and to a set of double doors. Pausing, he listened to the music for a moment, then twisted the doorknob and pushed the doors open.

The luxurious room featured a lounge chair, television and sofa arranged around a central table. Against the far wall sat Naraku, playing a black grand piano. The hanyou had his eyes closed as his fingers moved over the keys, and he breathed deeply as the final note hung in the air.

"That was lovely," Sesshomaru said. Naraku turned his head and smiled.

"Ah, Sesshomaru. Thank you for coming," he replied, standing. "Care for anything?" he gestured to a small liquor cabinet at the side of the room.

"No thank you, tobacco does not sit well with youkai, nor does strong alcohol," Sesshomaru said. Naraku nodded and pulled a small bottle of scotch from the cabinet. "So, Naraku, why did you call me here?"

"I have new information regarding the Order," Naraku said, pouring himself a small glass of the alcohol. "Another of their number has been spotted."

"Where?" Sesshomaru asked, his attention piqued.

"At a seaport, we've managed to identify her based on her badge and witnesses."

"And this 'we' is the youkai council, of course," Sesshomaru said.

"Who else?" Naraku paused to take a sip of his drink. "Anyway, we have identified her as Abi, 5th Class."

"5th?" Sesshomaru said. "That's a bit of a jump in rank from 8th. Why was she sent out?"

"We're not sure, but we have heard rumors that one of the three was on a cargo vessel."

A chill swept through the room, and Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes only slightly.

"The three treasures?" he asked. Naraku nodded and walked to the window.

"They have found _Yasakani-no-Magatama_."

"Amaterasu's necklace?"

"The same." Naraku turned back to face Sesshomaru. "What is more, there was a miko there, perhaps to defend the treasure, or working with the Order."

"The treacherous mikos would not be above that," Sesshomaru agreed. "Who was the miko?"

"I believe she is a miko you know, one Kagome Higurashi."

"Her?" Sesshomaru practically snarled. "That wench becomes an ever-present thorn in our sides."

"I am afraid it's more complicated than that," Naraku cut off. "Sesshomaru, you know the bond she shares with your brother."

"_Half-_brother," Sesshomaru reminded. "And that half, he continues to disgrace every time he goes on a mission and makes a fool of himself around that wretched miko."

"As I said, it is more complicated than just that. Sesshomaru, how many times does Inuyasha spar with Kagome?"

"A dozen that I know of, over the last year or two."

"And yet each time, he never kills her, and she never kills him. Interesting, isn't it?" Naraku mused.

"What are you insinuating, Naraku?" Sesshomaru muttered. He knew quite well, what the ambassador was implying. Still, he wished to hear it aloud.

"I am insinuating that perhaps your brother's loyalties are not as firm as you would like to believe," Naraku said. "After all, did he not disown you and your father, did you not have to coerce him into allying with you? And his constant interactions with Kagome…I'm sure you could understand my suspicions. Add in the small complication that the two of them have now met three members of the Order…"

"Inuyasha is not their ally," Sesshomaru said.

"But perhaps Kagome is, and if Inuyasha is betraying us to her then the result is the same," Naraku insisted. "Sesshomaru, I do not blame you for no liking what I am about to say. All the same, I will ask it." Naraku slowly walked up to the youkai and looked him in the eyes.

"Sesshomaru, could your brother betray us?" he asked. Sesshomaru held Naraku's gaze before looking away.

"I don't know," he answered, "but it is a disturbingly plausible possibility."

"I know. We have to act carefully around him, lest he know we suspect him."

"Hmph. Inuyasha is too much of a fool for that. But agreed all the same. What course of action do you suggest?"

"Send him into battle with Kagome."

"What!?" Sesshomaru cried out, unable to stop himself. Naraku sipped his drink again.

"Yes. If he is indeed betraying us to her, then I think it best we give him every possible chance to expose himself. If he is sincere, however…well, he still harbors feelings for the miko anyway, the time with her will likely be welcomed."

"I do not approve of this. What does the youkai council have to say on my brother's situation?"

"Nothing, I've not told them," Naraku shrugged.

"And why not, if he is indeed a spy they should be informed."

"Yes, so that they in turn can inform your father?" Naraku asked. Sessomaru thought for a moment or two. He was most certainly his father's favored son, but he knew his father well enough to know he would not be spared his wrath if the man thought himself in the right. Sesshomaru was already bending rules to keep Inuyasha out of trouble.

"Point taken…so this recommendation on Kagome is your idea then?"

"Yes. I know I am not a councilor, but all the same I always act in what I believe to be the best interests of the council. I am confident they would agree to this course of action," Naraku said. "In the meantime, to help keep him in line I've called in another ambassador to assist me."

"Assist you how?"

"She'll be helping me keep an eye on him while I cannot be present. She'll be meeting him to bring him back to the base safely."

"I don't need your help to keep my half-breed brother in line," Sesshomaru growled.

"Yes, because you've been doing an excellent job of that so far," Naraku chuckled. Sesshomaru bristled. "Please, Sesshomaru, such emotions are unbecoming of you."

"…very well. But be sure if I am not pleased with this course of action."

"Noted. But to be blunt, it matters not if you are pleased. What matters is that we do what must be done and do it efficiently and discreetly. This threat extends beyond your brother's treachery with Kagome. We are dealing with the Order, and can spare no effort to foil them."

- - - - - - - - - -

Inuyasha grunted as he shut his suitcase and lifted it off the bed. His week was up, and he was due to be back at the border in half an hour, or there'd be hell, a fine and Sesshomaru to pay. He walked out of the bedroom and took one more look at his old apartment. There was a prick on his neck, and Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched.

"Myoga…" he warned. The flea hopped onto Inuyasha's shoulder, and the hanyou turned his head to glare at him. "Took your time, I'm heading out. You just drop by for a snack?"

"Forgive me, Inuyasha-sama. I have worked diligently to serve you, I swear!" Myoga cried.

"Make it quick, I have to get back to the city line. What's Magatsuhi's deal?"

"Well, it was a bit tricky to find out. I am not sure what he desires now, but before his, ah, seeming demise, he was the leader of the Order of the Three."

"The what?"

"Order of the Three, my lord. An ancient and powerful league dedicated to protecting the Three."

"The three what?"

"Um…I'm not sure."

"Well thanks for nothing," Inuyasha muttered.

"There's more. In addition to the Three, whatever they may be, the Order of the Three was tasked to guard the most powerful man in the country. The Emperor."

"Emperor?" Inuyasha asked, confused. "There is no Emperor, the imperial throne was vacated like…" he trailed off.

"The last Emperor was Ashikaga Yoshiaki, in 1597," Myoga quoted. "That was when, with no Emperor to keep the peace, the youkai-miko war began again. It was 1597, that Magatsuhi's trail came to an end and the Order of the Three vanished."

"Until…why?"

"I don't know."

Inuyasha was silent for a moment. He had heard bits of information from Sesshomaru. Back when there had been one, the Emperor had succeeded in keeping peace between the two races. Then suddenly, Oda Nobunaga thrust the Emperor out of power. The imperial throne was vacated and the Sengoku Jidai began. Somehow in the turmoil and war, a successor to the throne never surfaced.

"I'm heading back to the base, you dig up what you can, alright?"

"Ah, Inuyasha-sama, might your most humble servant be rewarded?" Myoga asked eagerly. The hanyou rolled his eyes and pulled down the collar of his shirt. Myoga leapt up and grabbed onto the flesh eagerly. A few moments later, he jumped off and into the apartment.

"Thank you Inuyasha-sama!" Myoga called. Inuyasha grunted and went to the balcony. Placing a foot on the iron railing, he leapt off into the air, his hair and arms trailing behind him. Technically, traveling like this was illegal, but he was in a hurry. His feet padded on asphalt, brick and steel as he leapt and dashed across the city rooftops. He stopped and landed in an alley a few blocks from the city border. He stood and walked out of the alley with a smirk.

The border guards looked up as he approached, and he noticed them tense slightly. With a snort, Inuyasha walked up to the booth and tossed his ID on the counter.

"Inuyasha, checking out of leave," he said. The guard in the booth swiped his ID card under a scanner, and looked over at a computer screen.

"Hold on, you got someone waiting for ya," the guard said, reaching over the gate controls. The metal door for the gate slid open, and Inuyasha stepped to the side to look. A young woman with long red hair and a red skirt and white blouse walked through the gate. A pair of black sunglasses covered her eyes, but also pushed her hair back slightly. Her ears were pointed. Inuyasha sniffed. A neko.

"Inuyasha?" the neko asked, looking him over.

"Yeah, who the hell are you?" Inuyasha replied. The neko reached up to pull off her glasses, blinking bright blue eyes at him.

"I'm Yuka. I'm your new partner."

"…my new _what_?"


	13. Chapter 13

Love Thy Enemy

Chapter 13

"No, no, no, and _hell_ no!"

"You have no choice in the matter, Inuyasha, it is the order of the Council-"

"Fuck the Council!"

The hanyou was adamant on this. He knew, in the end, Sesshomaru would usually win, but he would not tolerate this curveball. Yuka could not, and would not, be partnered with him.

"I don't need a partner, Sess, and you know it!"

"Actually, I believe Yuka is exactly what you need."

"What the hell do you mean?"

Sesshomaru took a breath and tried to compose himself. He had known fully that Inuyasha would not be in favor of the arrangements that had been made for him. However, he had reviewed Yuka's profile while awaiting his brother's return, and found the neko to be a pleasantly suitable partner for his brother. She was adept at swordplay and was highly respectful for her superiors, but had been lectured for disorderly conduct with subordinates and poor attitude in teamwork situations. She had the right attributes to match Inuyasha, and could perhaps she turn him into a decent warrior while she was at it.

"I mean, little brother, that Yuka is skilled, competent, highly decorated and capable in battle. She is exactly what you need to stop being a childish adolescent and become a true soldier."

"Who're you calling childish, dickhead?" Inuyasha snapped. Right after saying the words, the hanyou's face turned red, and Sesshomaru raised a fine eyebrow.

"Thank you, for proving my point better than I ever could have. There will be no discussion of this, Inuyasha. You _will_ work with Yuka, you _will_ treat her with the respect her status demands, and if she complains to me you _will_ face disciplinary action. Are we clear on this?"

"Yeah yeah yeah," Inuyasha growled. "I hate you, do you know that?"

"Yes," Sesshomaru said curtly. He admitted it bothered him, on some level, to be hated by his brother. The war had shown him another side to the hanyou he'd not seen so many decades ago. Inuyasha was violent, brash, uncouth and arrogant. But he was also loyal, a fierce fighter, and had an unyielding will and conscience. If the hanyou could be taught to properly harness his positive traits to undermine his negative ones, he would be a powerful ally for the youkai. This was what Yuka was to do. Even if he did not know it, Yuka was to be not just Inuyasha's partner, but his mentor.

"Now, if you please, I have requested Yuka train with you at the training dojo. You will spar with her and you will show her your technique. Your battle prowess leaves something to be desired."

"You're _trying_ to piss me off, aren't you?" Inuyasha snarled.

"No, but I am finding amusement in doing so nonetheless."

- - - - - - - - - -

"The youkai Council assigned me to be your partner to get you into fighting shape," Yuka recited, examining the racks of blunted training weapons along the side of the room. "Your strength and speed are exceptional. It is your weapon training that requires work. The Tetsusaiga is a mighty weapon, but you wield it with none of the grace of your father and all of the grace of a child."

"Yeah yeah," Inuyasha growled. The hanyou was leaning against one of the dojo support beams as Yuka took her time examining the weapons. The neko turned an azure eye to glare at him.

"I do hope you're paying attention, Inuyasha. Just because I follow regulation and a regular training regiment does not mean I am an incompetent soldier," Yuka said sharply. "Draw your sword," she commanded, lifting a katana from the rack. Inuyasha smirked and stood up, drawing the Tetsusaiga from his waist.

"You're gonna fight me with that puny thing?" he chuckled. Yuka swirled the katana about, testing its weight.

"Skill and tactic can defeat brute strength in any battle," she said. "Come." She held out the sword and struck a fighting stance. Inuyasha hefted the Tetsusaiga over his head and charged.

Yuka jumped back to evade the massive fang as Inuyasha cleaved it down, touching her feet on the wall and leaping off. Inuyasha looked up as Yuka dove past him, bringing her arm over his neck. Inuyasha cried out as Yuka took him down, slamming his back to the floor and rolling forward and flipping to land in her stance again, glaring at him. Inuyasha grunted and slowly climbed to his feet. Yuka ran and kicked off his shoulders, knocking him back down and flipping into the air. She landed in front of him and turned to stare at the hanyou impassively.

"You see? You were clumsy and unfocused and I defeated you easily," Yuka said, folding her arms. Inuyasha growled and climbed to his feet.

"Great, you can hop around," he said, lifting the Tetsusaiga. "How about you actually quit that shit and fight me?"

"Hmph," Yuka snorted, smirking. "You have spirit, I'll give you that. Too bad it's being held back by stupidity."

"Hold this back!" Inuyasha snarled and charged. Yuka's eyes flashed as she brought her katana up to deflect the Tetsusaiga, leaping aside and watching the blade slice the air before her eyes. Inuyasha swung again and again, Yuka narrowly evading and blocking each strike. Inuyasha brought Tetsusaiga down again, and Yuka caught the blow with her katana, holding the giant fang off.

"You're a real bitch," Inuyasha said, pushing Yuka back.

"Perhaps," Yuka replied, smiling. "But I'm beating you." She spun, deflecting the Tetsusaiga and lifting her leg. Inuyasha's head snapped to the side as Yuka kicked him across the face, and a second kick sent the hanyou to the floor, Tetsusaiga sliding from his reach. Yuka walked into his view and knelt down in front of him.

"Are we learning yet? No wonder your father sent me to get you into shape."

"Fuck you!"

And fist came up to swing at Yuka's head, and she dodged the blow easily. Inuyasha glared at her as she crossed her legs and sat down beside him. "Like you know shit about me and my old man," Inuyasha muttered.

"Actually, I think I know quite a lot about you, Inuyasha," she stated cryptically. "I'm probably about two, maybe three hundred years older than you, but there was a time when I wasn't all that different from you – an upstart young punk."

"Hey!"

Yuka reached out with her katana and rapped Inuyasha on the back of his skull.

"I was born a few years after the war," Yuka continued, ignoring the hanyou's muttered curses. "I was young, beautiful, powerful, and the daughter of a neko chieftan."

"You sounded like an arrogant bitch too," Inuyasha said.

"Actually, yes, I was," Yuka agreed. The submission caught Inuyasha off his guard, and whatever comebacks he had been preparing in his head died off. "The country was still in shambles, since the war had only ended less than a decade ago. It was like the aftermath of any disaster, there was no order. It was a time when rogue youkai ran amok while the taiyoukais tried to rebuild their courts and stabilize the truce with the mikos. I didn't have use for my dad, he was just a washed up old samurai with heart for battle anymore. So I took off on my own. Did what I wanted, went where I pleased. I killed humans a bit, didn't really pillage much unless a village pissed me off, screwed a few hot nekos while I was running around. Fought a lot of weak youkai, killed them."

"So what happened?" Inuyasha asked, actually interested despite humself.

"I pretty much lived as I liked for a few decades. One day, I came across one youkai in particular that I remember. One glance at him and one brush with his youki should have been a tip that I was no match for him. But I was still a kid and full of myself, I didn't know any better and attacked him."

"Did you lose?"

"I got my ass kicked!" Yuka barked out, laughing. "Ended up pretty much like you are now – lying bruised and bitter, my pride more hurt than anything else. The youkai could have killed me right then and there, but he didn't. He _had_ been looking for me though. I guess when you run around the country fucking and killing whomever you please, you tend to rack up a reputation.

"So why had he been looking for you?" Inuyasha pulled himself into a sitting position and watched as Yuka let out a sigh.

"My old man had died a few years before. Turns out he had been a senior member in this guy's court. He was a big taiyoukai, and he wanted me to take my father's place in his court, if I chose too. The only condition was that I actually quit acting like a child and become a respectable member of the taiyoukai court. I was bitter, and I told him to go to hell. But I spent a few days thinking after that. I had led the life of a rebellious youth, and it had gotten me nothing. So I went to his court and told him I would be honored to join him." Yuka paused for a moment and turned her head towards Inuyasha.

"I know what it's like, living your life pissed off at the world, doing as you please. But believe me, Inuyasha, when I say that life goes nowhere."

"Don't start giving me that shit," he muttered. "You got to choose to be on your own, you got to choose to join your court. I got coerced into joining and left alone when my mother died. Don't even think you understand me because you don't."

"You're right, I don't. Yeah, you got this life forced on you. And I don't understand you. But I know what it's like to feel like shit and keep going. You know why your brother and father got me assigned with you?"

"Don't really care."

"Because they think you're a worthless piece of hanyou trash who is a disgrace to their bloodline."

"Gee, thanks," Inuyasha snarled. "Anything else you wanna say to try and encourage me?"

"Yes. You really wanna get on daddy's nerves? You really want to piss off him and your brother? Stop proving them right, and try proving them wrong. They don't think you have it takes to be a member of their bloodline. Show them otherwise."

Inuyasha was silent as Yuka finished speaking, then stood up and walked to Tetsusaiga. The blue-eyed neko watched as he sheathed the fang and walked towards the door of the dojo.

"I should have known I was talking to a wall," Yuka muttered. Inuyasha stopped.

"Actually," he said softly, reaching towards the weapon rack on the wall, "I was just getting a different sword." He drew a katana and walked to the other side of the dojo. Yuka stood up as Inuyasha turned and held out the sword with both hands.

"I'm ready," he said. Yuka smiled and flicked her sword out to the side.

"Are you?"

"Yeah…come on," Inuyasha replied. The neko smiled.

"Then let's begin, for real this time."

- - - - - - - - - -

"We're willing to stop this now, if you so wish."

"I said I'm fine!"

Tsubaki scowled at Kagome's outburst. The miko ignored the burning sensation in her hips and twirled the Naginata above her head. With a grunt, she ran forward, and stumbled as she brought the Naginata down. Tsubaki lazily blocked the attack with her staff, turning it aside. Kagome swung again, pressing the catch to separate the blades. Tsubaki stepped back and ducked and stepped to evade the attacks. Kagome cried in frustration and brought both blades down. Tsubaki swung her staff and knocked both the blades into the air. Kagome fell to her knees panting as the two tanto blades stuck in the mat on either side of her.

"You are not yet at full strength again," Tsubaki said coolly.

"Shut up!" Kagome snarled, shakily climbing to her feet. Tsubaki looked at her shirt and frowned to see it sticking to her stomach.

"Your stitches appear to be damaged again," she muttered. "You cannot push yourself, Kagome. You are still weak."

"I said shut up!" Kagome forced herself to her feet and pushed Tsubaki. "I…am not…weak!" she panted, putting a hand out to catch herself as she fell back on her knees. "Whatever doesn't kill me…makes me stronger, right?"

"That's a common misconception. If anything, it has given you a glaring weakness, from where I am standing," Tsubaki said. Kagome shook her head.

"I can handle myself…just need to train harder."

"No, you need to rest and let your wounds finish healing," Tsubaki said. "I'm seen mikos with lesser wounds spend more time recuperating than you have."

"They're not as strong as I am," Kagome said harshly. "I've worked hard to get this far, Tsubaki, I will not falter!"

"You haven't, and your dedication is admirable. But it's going to get you killed someday."

Kagome slowly got up and retrieved one of her Naginata blades. She sheathed it and retrieved the other.

"Kagome, are you so concerned with strength?" Tsubaki asked. Kagome stared ahead.

"Strength is what determines who survives. The weak lose out to the strong," she muttered.

"Such harsh words are unbecoming of you," Tsubaki said, surprising the miko she had always seen as so caring speaking in such a way.

"You know it's true. I can afford to be caring and compassionate when I'm strong again. If these…'Order' guys, are gonna keep popping up, I've got to be stronger so I can take them on and beat them."

"True," Tsubaki admitted. "You cannot afford to be too careful, their rankings are still a mystery. Until we know all their members, you must be on your guard."

"Right," Kagome said. "Any word on the other members?"

"Not yet, but the Elders aren't saying much. Muso, Abi and Magatsuhi were the first. There's eight in all, along with however many lesser youkai they've managed to sway to their cause."

"Any chance they have mikos on their side?"

"It's a possibility, the Elders are looking into it."

"Good. Whatever they're after, we can't let them get it," Kagome turned and left the dojo. Tsubaki narrowed her eyes behind her.

_"Whatever they're after…the Elders haven't told her?"_

**Thus far, I've delved a lot into Inuyasha's character. Soon I'll be exploring Kagome's as well.**


	14. Chapter 14

Love Thy Enemy

**Another cameo from one of my OCs here!**

Chapter 14

"How long have we been out here?"

"Three minutes more than the last time you asked, four hours and thirty six minutes total."

"I'm losing feeling in my ass, let's just go already!"

"Shut up!"

Yuka glared at Inuyasha angrily from the darkness of the railroad car, and the hanyou glared right back. She shook her head and turned back to look out at the abandoned train yard, scanning the tracks.

"Yuka, four and a half hours, I think we got jipped," Inuyasha grumbled. "Damn spy again."

"Be patient, the tip off said there would be a miko meeting here tonight," Yuka said, not turning to him this time. "An item of great value will be changing hands. We are to investigate what this item is and intercept the exchange if needed."

"I remember, shut up," Inuyasha snapped. Yuka looked, and hunkered back.

"There," she pointed. Inuyasha followed her gaze to see a group of uniformed mikos crossing the yard, five in total. Two of them carried a large black truck between them.

"Let's go," Yuka said, standing up. She moved inside the dark train car and grabbed her katana and armor from the floor. Inuyasha tossed the fire rat cloak over his arms and stuck Tetsusaiga through his belt. The two leapt to the ground and quietly followed the miko through the yard. As they tracked them, the miko entered a derelict train station. Inuyasha made to go towards the door, and Yuka clamped a claw down on his shoulder.

"What?" he growled.

"For all you know there are ten miko behind that door," Yuka said. "Never go in the front door when you're trying to be subtle." With that, the neko leapt up onto a train car nearby, then leapt onto the balcony on the second floor of the station. Inuyasha grunted and followed, landing beside her. Yuka stood up and carefully pushed open the door inside.

"Hear that?" she asked, looking at Inuyasha.

"No," he scowled.

"Talking," Yuka explained, going inside. Inuyasha followed her inside into a dark mailroom, the floor and a table covered in dusty old letters. The two slipped out into the hall, where a dim light came from the end.

"You're late!"

Inuyasha and Yuka froze at the accusation.

"My apologies, acquiring transportation discreetly was difficult."

"We do not care for excuses, wench. Did you bring the item as commanded?"

Above, Inuyasha and Yuka crept forward to the end of the hall. A balcony overlooked the main floor below. A single lamp on a wooden desk in the middle of the floor cast the dim light seen above. Several lesser youkai crowded around one side of the hall. At their head stood a man in a black and red kimono with long red hair and green eyes. A small badge was pinned on his kimono. On the opposite side of the desk stood five mikos, their leader, not that Inuyasha had a better look, had long white hair and dark blue and black robes.

"Of course," the white-haired miko said. Behind her, the two miko carrying the trunk approached and set the trunk down. The white-haired miko turned and opened it, withdrawing a large mirror. It was over two feet in diameter, perfectly round and flawless. A light blue frame held it in place, ornate swirls and runes carved into it. The handle was large and looked more like the hilt of a sword. The white-haired miko strained to lift it with two hands and placed it on the table.

"The sacred mirror, Lord Kagemusha," she said, stepping back. The red haired youkai called Kagemusha reached out a claw and picked up the large mirror effortlessly with a single hand. He held it up and gazed at it, running a claw along its edge. He brought back his hand, made a fist, and slammed it through the mirror. The miko flinched as shards of the looking glass tinkled down on the ground.

"What are you doing!?" she shrieked. Kagemusha's lip curled as he slammed the remains of the mirror of the table.

"You ignorant wretch, Tsubaki!" he snarled. "This is not the _Yata-no-Kagami!_"

"Impossible!" Tsubaki protested. "The spiritual powers of that mirror are incredible, it must be the Yata-no-"

"You mistake this dime-store looking glass for the sacred mirror? You deserve not the right to utter its true name!" Kagemusha cut off. "Your incompetence knows no bounds, you pathetic miko."

"My incompetence?" Tsubaki said. "It is because of my assistance that the Order was able to recover the first of the three Treasures! Had it not been for my efforts to track its location, you would never had found it?"

"She's spying on the mikos for the Order?" Inuyasha whispered above the argument.

"It appears so," Yuka nodded.

"Yes, you did assist us in recovering the _Yasakani-no-Magatama_, true," Kagemusha said. "But apparently your usefulness is limited. We will have to mobilize our other informants to make up for your error."

"Others?" Tsubaki muttered, Kagemusha picked up the ruins of the mirror and held it up.

"But of course, we have many. Did you think we would have a spy in the miko ranks, and not have one in the youkai camp? She's been a bit less willing than you, but she serves us all the same." Kagemusha turned around to face the youkai behind him. "We're done here, clean up this mess," he ordered. The youkai grinned and flexed their claws, advancing towards Tsubaki. The white-haired miko took a step back and seized a staff from the back of one of her escorts. Her bodyguards likewise readied their weapons.

"What treachery is this, Kagemusha?" Tsubaki demanded.

"We've no further use for you," Kagemusha sneered, turning back to her. "This mirror," he held up the item, "has sealed your fa-" Kagemusha stopped and cocked his head, peering at one of the shards of the mirror still in the frame. He scowled and whirled his head around to stare up at the balcony. Yuka pulled back behind the doorframe.

"What happened?" Inuyasha asked.

"I think he saw me," Yuka replied. Below, Kagemusha dropped the mirror as his hand and lower arm became engulfed in flame.

"Pathetic vermin!" he roared, bringing back his hand.

"Yup," Inuyasha nodded, unsheathing Tetsusaiga. Kagemusha flung out his hand and fired a blast of fire at the balcony. Inuyasha leapt off the balcony, swinging Tetsusaiga and cutting through the flames. He landed in front of Kagemusha and charged. The youkai snorted and drew a katana from his waist, catching the Tetsusaiga. Kagemusha turned a crimson eye to Tsubaki as his minions attacked her.

"Don't let her escape!" he ordered.

"Don't worry, we're gonna want both of you alive," Inuyasha smirked. Yuka landed behind Inuyasha and stood up. The movement made Kagemusha turn his attention back to his opponent.

"And you are, hanyou?"

"Inuyasha, brother of the Inu-no-Taisho and more than strong enough to kick your ass."

"How quaint," Kagemusha cried, bringing up his other hand to blast him with another wave of fire. Inuyasha jumped back and landed beside Yuka several feet away. Kagemusha ran a hand through his hair and flicked out his sword. "I am Kagemusha, lord of flames and ranked seventh within the Order of the Three," he announced.

"Yeah, well I'm gonna rank you seven feet within the ground," Inuyasha snarled. Kagemusha smiled wickedly and held out a claw. A plume of flame erupted from his feet and circled him. Inuyasha cried out as the wall of flame shot up, blocking his sight.

"Kill all of them, including the hanyou and his pet cat!" Kagemusha roared from the flames.

"Pet cat?" Yuka shrieked. Several youkai leapt at them, and Inuyasha lashed out Tetsusaiga, cleaving them apart. "Divide and conquer, you handle the youkai, I'll take care of the miko," Yuka ordered, turning to the women in question. The four miko bodyguards were busy fighting Kagemusha's minions while Tsubaki made her way to the exit of the building.

"Right," Inuyasha agreed. Yuka charged towards the mikos as Inuyasha turned to confront a wave of lesser youkai that burst in from the wall.

"You always see this much action in the field these days?" Yuka grunted, swinging as she leapt. Her katana cleaved apart the serpentine youkai in front of her. A miko turned to her as Yuka landed in front of her, but the neko kicked off her shoulders to continue to pursue Tsubaki outside.

"Yup, just another day on the job," he nodded, kicking away the segmented youkai. Inuyasha cut the air with Tetsusaiga and leapt back as a blast of energy exploded at his feet. He looked up to see a miko drawing an arrow along her bow, and jumped towards her. The arrow flashed blue as it fired, and Inuyasha twisted in mid-air to avoid it. The arrow passed by harmlessly, and Inuyasha landed in front of a youkai. It screeched, and Inuyasha rammed his fist down its throat.

Outside, Tsubaki pushed open the doors and fled down the dirt and wood steps. Yuka emerged from behind her and leapt, landing in front of the dark miko. Tsubaki halted and held out her staff in defense.

"Out of my way youkai, I've no business with you," she growled.

"Too bad I've business with you," Yuka replied. She ran forward and swung, and Tsubaki lifted her staff to deflect the blow.

"Do not make me destroy you," Tsubaki hissed. "The Order has granted me power beyond your comprehension."

"Looking forward to it," Yuka said, swinging again. Tsubaki parried and blocked every attack as Yuka forced her back. Yuka swung and grabbed Tsubaki's staff when the miko blocked her strike. Tsubaki cried out as Yuka flipped her weapon, slamming the staff into Tsubaki's head and knocking her to the ground. Tsubaki groaned and sat up, but Yuka stepped on her stomach and held her katana to her throat.

"Who is the spy in the youkai camp?" she demanded.

"I don't know, I just found out tonight!" Tsubaki replied.

"Why has the Order of the Three resurfaced, what do they want?"

"I don't know, but even if I did I'd never tell you. The punishment for betraying the Order is far beyond any death you could inflict on me."

"You're lying. You brought them that mirror, they said it was…" Yuka gasped, and her eyes went wide. "_Yata-no-Kagami…_they're after the three treasures," she whispered. Tsubaki looked up at her, and put a hand on her stomach. Yuka went flying back as Tsubaki sent a blast of miko power surging through her palm. Yuka yowled as she landed, tingling with purity. Tsubaki climbed to her feet and grabbed her staff, fleeing into the night.

- - - - - - - - - -

Two mikos cried out as a blast of flame caught them, burning them to a crisp. Inuyasha looked away in disgust, and lifted the Tetsusaiga to cut apart a rat-youkai leaping at him.

"Do not fear, hanyou, you shall share their fate!" Inuyasha gasped as Kagemusha appeared in front of him, a fireball in his palm. The blast of fire flung Inuyasha back, and he hit the wall with a loud thud. Kagemusha smirked and summoned another fireball in his palms, flinging both arms forward. Inuyasha lifted the Tetsusaiga as a shield crying out as the flames blasted off the fang.

"Silly hanyou," Kagemusha laughed. "Do you think you can hide from the flames?" Kagemusha turned a hand away and fired another blast. The roof rafters lit up, and Inuyasha looked up as a beam fell towards him. He leapt out of the way, watching the wooden beam crash to the floor. He landed and jumped again to avoid a second burst of fire. "I can keep this up as long as I wish!" Kagemusha called, flames surrounding his arms as he continued to throw fireballs. Inuyasha evaded each of them, then jumped and pushed off the wall, charging towards him through the air. Kagemusha hurled a fireball, and Inuyasha slashed at it.

The fireball dispersed, and Kagemusha gasped as Inuyasha landed and dashed towards him, Tetsusaiga over his head. Kagemusha fired a final burst of flame as Inuyasha leapt and cleaved the Tetsusaiga down. The fang ripped through Kagemusha's shoulder, and the youkai howled in agony as his right arm fell to the ground. He stumbled back, gasping for breath as he looked at Inuyasha.

"You…" he muttered, glaring.

"Spill it. What is the Order?" Inuyasha demanded. Kagemusha smirked and held up his remaining claw.

"We are older and more powerful than a hanyou like you could possibly comprehend," he chuckled darkly. "The cause we serve is greater than simple conquest, greater than anything you fight for. We fight for Lord Magatsuhi, we serve him…" Kagemusha lifted his claw to his throat. "And to die for him, is a great honor!"

"No!" Inuyasha cried, running forward. Kagemusha grinned, and whipped his claws across his throat, crumbling to the ground. Inuyasha stopped and looked down at him, grimacing. Kagemusha's chest rose a few more times, and then was still.

"Hey," Yuka called. Inuyasha turned as the neko limped into the building. "Mine got away. Yours?"

"Right here, sorta," Inuyasha jerked his thumb at Kagemusha's corpse. "What about the miko?"

"I think I saw one split, the other three are probably lying around somewhere," Yuka shrugged. "Good work on him. It's not easy to kill a member of the Order. That's two and zero for you now."

"What?" Inuyasha cried, whirling back from Kagemusha. "You know about them?"

"I don't think there's a youkai alive that doesn't know about them," Yuka replied. "Why, didn't Sesshomaru tell you?"

"Have you met him?"

"Son a bitch," Yuka muttered. "You fight Muso, you fight Kagemusha and they don't tell you about the Order of the Three?"

"Apparently not, wanna clue me in?" Inuyasha asked.

"On the way back, I got hit with a miko blast," Yuka replied. "Let's get back to the truck, we can chat on the trip."

**It's been due for a while now. Next chapter, the big plot dump to explain exactly who and what, Magatsuhi and the Order are.**


	15. Chapter 15

Love Thy Enemy

**Like I said, the long-awaited plot dump!**

Chapter 15

"What are we looking for here?" Inuyasha asked, following Yuka down the shelves of the archives. The crimson-haired youkai ignored him as she scanned the shelves.

"You said you wanted to know about the Order," she said, looking. "I've heard the stories here and there, they were all the rage after the war all those centuries ago. Nowadays, good like finding any mention of them."

"So stop wasting time looking and start talking," Inuyasha ordered. Yuka gave him a look, then turned back to the shelves.

"Sometime around the turn of the century in the 600's, someone made an attempt on the Emperor's life. The ruler of Japan around that time was Emperess Jito. No one had ever fathomed the idea that someone would attack the Emperor. So, the Emperess formed a new order, dedicated solely to the protection of the royal throne and its heirs. They became known as the Order of the Three."

"Three? Three what?" Inuyasha asked. Yuka turned to him.

"Treasures. When the first Emperor, Jimmu, was crowned, he was granted three treasures from the gods as proof of his royal birthright. To ensure proper succession of the royal bloodline, the Order of the Three was charged with protecting the Three Treasures and the heirs to the throne."

"So what are the these treasures?" Inuyasha said.

"I honestly have no idea," Yuka shook her head. "But judging from what we saw, I'd say that one of them is some sort of mirror."

"Kagemusha mentioned they already had one. So if the Order of the Three is supposed to protect these treasures, why seek them now?"

"It was back around the beginning of the war," Yuka started. "In 1597, the last known Emperor, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, died. His successor was a young boy named Kagewaki Hitomi. But before he could take the throne, a warlord named Onigumo Nobunaga marched on the capitol. Rather than risk being caught, Hitomi's parents fled the palace with the Three Treasures and the heir. By the time the battle was over, the treasures were gone, Onigumo was dead and Hitomi had vanished into time. The bloodline of the Emperors was lost. That was when the miko-youkai war began, when the higher-ranked miko and taiyoukai began declaring themselves suitable replacement Emperors."

"So that's what this is about," Inuyasha muttered as Yuka went back to scanning the book spines. "The Order and Magatsuhi want the treasures. If the treasures represent the imperial birthright, then…they must have found an heir to the throne."

"That's what I'm thinking, and looking for," Yuka nodded. "If one of Hitomi's descendents, assuming he had kids, lived to today, they would have a valid claim to the imperial throne and the royal bloodline. Of course, there's no way to prove it, unless you have the treasures. The rite of imperial ascension involving the treasures only works with a blood heir."

"So if they had an heir, and got the treasures, they could crown a new Emperor for the first time in five hundred years," Inuyasha finished.

"Bingo," Yuka said, pulling down a book. "The problem is I have no idea how you could find any of those things. The treasures were lost centuries ago, and there's no telling who could be the imperial heir without them. But that's good for us, because it means Magatsuhi can't know who the heir is either."

"Something doesn't make sense," Inuyasha cut off. "If Magatsuhi and the Order were the Emperor's bodyguards, why fight them? Why not let them get the treasures and crown the Emperor? Seems to me that'd be a good way to end this war."

"Yeah, but if what I heard about Magatsuhi is true, letting the Emperor take the throne is the last thing on his mind," Yuka said, flipping through the book in her hands. "See, back when Onigumo was poised to attack the palace, the rumor mill said the palace was protected by forty thousand men. In reality, it was more like twenty-five hundred. They had spread false information about their numbers for security. Wanna take a guess who ratted them out to Onigumo and told him to attack?"

"Son of a bitch," Inuyasha whispered as he realized what Yuka meant. "Magatsuhi sold out the Emperor to Onigumo."

"Big time, and a big lot of good it did," Yuka nodded, putting the book back. "At the end of the day, Onigumo was dead, and for whatever reason Magatsuhi betrayed the throne, he became hunted by youkai and miko alike. If Hitomi hadn't escaped the palace when he had, he would have been killed. So, seeing as how he tried to exterminate the royals in the first place, you really think Magatsuhi wants to put their heirs back in power?" Yuka turned around to Inuyasha.

"Unless I find what some sort of info here, which I doubt I will, we have to take this to Sesshomaru. If Magatsuhi finds the treasures, you can kiss the imperial bloodline, and the hope of ever seeing the Emperor's throne occupied again, goodbye," Yuka said sternly. "Right now, the safest place for the heir to the throne is off it. And to keep it that way, we have to figure out what the remaining two treasures are and make sure Magatsuhi and the Order don't find them."

"What if we killed Magatsuhi?" Inuyasha asked. Yuka let out a bark.

"Good luck. He's almost a thousand years old, Inuyasha, the oldest member of the Order, ranked 1st of eight."

"But we've killed other members before," Inuyasha reminded.

"Yeah, that's true…Kagemusha said he was ranked seventh. You said that guy Muso you killed was eighth," Yuka listed.

"Two down, six to go," Inuyasha said. "Seems simple to me."

"When you're dealing with the Order, nothing is so simple. Magatsuhi is one of the oldest, most powerful creatures in existence. He's beyond such terms like miko, youkai…he's so much more than that. Inuyasha, I know you're strong, and you're becoming stronger. But believe me when I say, if you faced Magatsuhi in battle, he would destroy you."

Inuyasha thought for a moment as Yuka finished, then looked up.

"We need to talk to Sesshomaru."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Kagemusha has been dispatched," Magatsuhi whispered, running a finger along the beads of the necklace on the altar before him. Behind him, Abi hung her head and sighed.

"His loss is regrettable. But we already have one of the treasures, my lord. Surely there will be time to replenish our ranks after the heir is dealt with," she said. Beside her, a man with a mask covering his face turned to her, glaring.

_"We do not need the help of whelps that fall to hanyou scum!" _a voice echoed from within the mask. Abi turned her head and moved her hand to the shaft of the halberd at her back. The man growled and lowered his head. Light pink hair covered his face as he lifted a claw to his mask.

"Kageromaru," Magatsuhi called. The man whirled his head to stare as Magatsuhi turned. "Not now." Kageromaru nodded and bowed his head and Magatsuhi descended the steps from the altar.

"You both speak truthfully, in part," Magatsuhi declared. "We currently do not have the time or resources to seek worthy new members of our league, but when we do we will make sure they are stronger and more worthy than Kagemusha and Muso. For the time being, we must concentrate our efforts on what truly matters. Already our remaining numbers scour the globe seeking the remaining treasures. But also, there is the matter of the murderer to be dealt with."

"His name is Inuyasha, my lord," Abi said. "He is the hanyou son of the taiyoukai Toga." A small smile graced Magatsuhi's face.

"Toga, the old mutt," he chuckled. "I so heard he had whelps. How very fitting one of them should have killed two of my brethren and sullied the name of our legacy with the deed. When they die, I hope the irony shall not be lost on him."

_"The hanyou must be destroyed! One such as he cannot be allowed to disgrace our sacred sect with bloodshed!"_ Kageromaru said.

"Allow me to destroy him, my lord," Abi requested. "It will be an honor to return to our sanctum with the hanyou's head."

"No…" Magatsuhi shook his head. "I've no doubt in your abilities, either of you. But, the hanyou has killed two of our members. I will not risk losing more members to him. Especially you two, to lose ranks fifth and fourth would be a great blow. No, I believe if we are to slay the hanyou, we must spare to mercy to him, for he has spared none for us." Abi's eyes widened, and Kageromaru stepped back.

"Do not be frightened," Magatsuhi ordered. "He is fierce but he is yet one of our number. If anyone could slay the hanyou beyond myself, I am confident beyond words that the second of our order could do."

"Then, you intend to…" Abi gasped.

"Yes," Magatsuhi nodded. "This, I shall pass to Moryomaru to handle."

- - - - - - - - - -

"So, it's true then? We're fighting the Order of the Three."

Inuyasha waited as Sesshomaru clasped his hands, and nodded.

"Yes, I am afraid so. The official information on the Order is that they disbanded centuries ago, and that Magatsuhi is dead," Sesshomaru said. "Unofficially, we've become aware of their resurgence not too long ago, although looking back clues to their existence lead back a year. Whatever the case, it is clear the Order is using this war, and their spies, to conceal their actions as they seek the Three Treasures and the heir to the imperial throne…the person with the blood of the Minamoto clan flowing in their veins."

"Do we have any information on them?" Yuka asked.

"Very little, but some. We've currently identified four known members. Rank eight, Muso, you killed, Inuyasha. Rank seven is Kagemusha, also dead now. In a miko attack, a source helped us identify rank five as a female youkai named Abi, And of course, Magatsuhi is rank one. The other four members, we do not know who they are, but we are searching for information."

"So what do we do about this? Just wait for the Order to strike and stop them when they do?" Inuyasha said.

"Unfortunately, yes. That's all we can do," Sesshomaru said. "However, once we have any information on the Order and the Three Treasures, we will mobilize immediately. We have to try and find out who their contacts and spies are, and try to determine where they are operating from. In the meantime, the youkai council is devoting a great deal of time into investigating any possible leads for the locations of the remaining treasures. If they find anything, Naraku will inform us."

"Naraku," Inuyasha growled. "I hate that guy. Sess, tell me you don't trust that asswipe."

"I do, thank you. Naraku is a long-time ally of the youkai council, Inuyasha, and a good man."

"He's a prick."

"Considering the source, I'm sure he'd be wounded to hear so."

"If we can set aside the family squabbling," Yuka interrupted, stepping forward. "Sir, what are our current orders regarding the Order?"

"None, you did well tonight. Anything else to report?" Sesshomaru replied.

"We mentioned the miko, right?" Inuyasha said.

"Yes, which is quite distressing. But we'll handle it in time."

"Then no, that's everything."

"Very well. You can leave now, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha turned and left with a roll of his eyes, while Yuka watched him leave. Sesshomaru clasped his hands together and thought. Naraku's accusations and suspicions began circling his head.

"If the miko are indeed allied with the Order…" he murmured, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Sir?" Yuka asked. "Why did you ask me to remain behind?"

"I wish to know how Inuyasha fought in the battle," Sesshomaru said.

"Very well, sir. He was able to successfully and single-handedly defeat Kagemusha, surely a great step up from his struggles with other, weaker opponents. He handled himself with agility and strength," Yuka said.

"Good," Sesshomaru nodded. "Has he discovered it yet?"

"Not that he has mentioned to me, sir. Surely if he had it, he would have used it tonight. It would be, _will_ be, of great usage against the Order and their ranks."

"True," Sesshomaru agreed, leaning back. "I know we cannot directly teach it to him, but all the same, try your best, Yuka. We can at least provide opportunities for him to find it."

"I am doing my best, but to be fair, he does not know there is something to look for," Yuka said.

"Yes…he wields father's sword, but not his strength. It would be a great boon to his reputation, and mine, to give word of success to the council to pass along to father," Sesshomaru thought aloud. "As is now, it's a little embarrassing. How long now has he used the Tetsusaiga, and he's still yet to find the Kaze-no-Kizu?"


	16. Chapter 16

Love Thy Enemy

**Once again, as with Inuyasha, numerous flashbacks here to fill in the gaps in Kagome's character history. But otherwise, this chapter is a bit shorter. All the same, enjoy!**

Chapter 16

Twilight covered the training grounds moments before dawn. The shadows cast by the racks of bows, weapons and benches cast an aura of gloom over the area. In the center of the training ground, hands straight at her sides, Kagome held her eyes closed. On the horizon, the sun rose over the hills. As the sun washed over her face, Kagome spun and opened her eyes, and lifted her hands into the air.

With practiced ease and steady breaths, Kagome punch, swept, jabbed and kicked the air, the movements of the Goju-ryu kata executing one after the other. The form-fitting leotard she was wearing allowed her to follow the moves easily.

_"Visualize the movements. Remain calm," _Kagome recited in her mind, closely her eyes as she continued the kata. _"It is as father taught me, keep your wits about and don't panic, no matter how intense the battle."_

"It's way too cold to be training out there," Tsubaki muttered, watching Kagome from a balcony in the barracks. "Does she _want_ to get sick?"

"Let her be," Kikyo ordered from the desk. Tsubaki turned from the balcony in Kikyo's office as the senior miko read over a piece of paperwork. "Kagome does that from time to time. It helps her focus before a mission."

"And does she have a mission?" Tsubaki asked.

"No, but all the same," Kikyo explained. "She shoulders a greater burden than you realize, Tsubaki. Do not be so quick to judge her. Kagome has the blood of a warrior in her veins."

- - - - - - - - - -

_"Lady Itoshi, a pleasure."_

_Kikyo looked up at the handsome, clean-cut man lifted her mother's hand to his lips. The military dinner party was in full-swing, an orchestra playing in the corner and people dancing on the ballroom floor. Kikyo hadn't wanted to come, but her mother had insisted._

_"Likewise sir," Naomi Itoshi smiled, drawing her hand back. "Congratulations on the promotion, Lieutenant Higurashi. Excuse me, Captain Higurashi, I meant."_

_"Naomi, I've warned you about this before, haven't I? Regardless of rank, I am, and shall always be, Ichiro to you."_

_"Of course, my apologies," Naomi bowed as Ichiro crossed his arms and smiled. He looked down at Kikyo._

_"And who is this?" Ichiro asked._

_"I believe you know of her, Ichiro," Naomi said, smiling down at Kikyo. "My daughter, Kikyo."_

_"Ah, you're Kikyo," Ichiro nodded, kneeling down. "Your mother tells me you're already putting up barriers and enchanting arrows. Not bad for a kid."_

_"Well, I can do this," Kikyo said shyly, holding out a hand. Ichiro watched as a light pink aura appeared shimmering over Kikyo's palm._

_"We all somewhere, kid," Ichiro chuckled. "Seriously, that's pretty good for someone your age, most miko can't even access their powers until they hit puberty. Nice work."_

_"She hopes to join the forces, someday," Naomi said, patting Kikyo on the head. "With skills showing at this age, she'll likely become one of the top mikos in her squadron."_

_Ichiro's face clouded, and he looked around._

_"Naomi, come with me please. I have to speak to you," he whispered, gesturing to the doors to the hall. Naomi nodded._

_"Kikyo, honey, go to our table okay?" she said. Kikyo nodded and walked towards the table she and her mother were sitting at. She turned back as Ichiro led Naomi out of the ballroom. Kikyo carefully snuck after the two adults and followed them out of the room. The two slipped into a sitting room, shutting the door behind them. Kikyo crept up to the door and pressed her eye to the keyhole._

_"Ichiro, what is it?" Naomi asked, concerned._

_"I need your help," Ichiro confessed, sitting down in a chair next to a large coffee table. Naomi sat on the sofa on the other side of the table. "I had my daughter tested today."_

_"Kagome? What were the results?" Naomi asked, leaning forward._

_"She scored a seven-point-five," Ichiro sighed, looking at the floor._

_"That's excellent! Kikyo scored an eight-point-two," Naomi smiled. "Your daughter will make a fine miko, Ichiro." Outside, Kikyo tried to figure out what they meant. Her mother had taken her to some sort of special clinic a few months ago. There had been a lot of questions, tests like in school, doctors and other people there, needles. All she really understood was that at the end of it all, the people told her mother she scored an 'eight-point-two'. Naomi explained that this meant in time, Kikyo would be a powerful miko._

_"I know, that is what concerns me," Ichiro said fiercely. "I am not like you, Naomi. You are a tactician and a researcher. I am a soldier. It is easy for you to wish your daughter to follow the path you took. I wish I could say the same."_

_"Is that what bothers you? Kagome will seek to follow you and join the miko army?" Naomi asked._

_"It is easy now, Naomi. I see action two or three times a year, simple rebellions and __guerrilla squadrons in far-off countries. But you've heard the rumors. They say within ten years, we could be on the edge of another miko-youkai war. Dealing with humans with guns is one thing, Naomi, but the youkai? What if Kagome joins the miko army and she is thrown into war with them?"_

_"So, it is true, then," Naomi sighed, thinking silently._

_"Naomi, you know me. I am proud and honored to protect the helpless and the innocent from oppressors and murderers. But I would not wish the same things I have seen and done on Kagome. She is a child, she's no place on a battlefield!"_

_"And when she is a young woman?"_

_"My stance will remain the same. I go to battle and risk my life for others, but I cannot and will not expect the same of Kagome."_

- - - - - - - - - -

"Hmph, well, seems like her old man didn't get his wish," Tsubaki snorted. "Whatever happened to him anyway?"

"The last I heard, he was killed in combat, a bomb planted on a transport ship," Kikyo said, finishing up her paperwork. "Kagome was informed of his passing shortly after joining our forces."

"Ouch. How'd she take it?"

"Well enough, I suppose. She was distraught, of course. But come to think of it, I don't…" Kikyo frowned as she thought. "I've never really seen her cry about it…strange."

"Maybe there weren't as close as father and daughter ought to be?" Tsubaki said.

"Oh no, they loved each other. Just, if what my mother tells me is true, they never quite saw eye to eye."

- - - - - - - - - -

"So what if he's a hanyou, I like him and I'm moving in with him!" Kagome shouted. Ichiro groaned and rubbed his temples, sitting on the sofa in the living room of their apartment.

_"I'm happy you found someone, Kagome, but a hanyou, of all beings? Especially in this time? Really, I had thought you smarter than that," he lectured. "Do you even realize what you're getting into?"_

_"I knew you weren't perfect dad, but I never figured you'd react like this," Kagome said, disgusted._

_"I have nothing against youkai or hanyou, you know that!" Ichiro protested, standing up from the sofa. "But Kagome, please understand. War is brewing again, within a year's time we could be facing a war between youkai and miko like the Sengoku Jidai! Do you remember studying that, I know you do. Do you want to be with someone like that in such a time?"_

_"That's my decision to make," Kagome snapped, crossing her arms. "Dad, I'm going to be with Inuyasha. You can't stop that."_

_"And what if he joins the youkai forces during the war? Do you have any idea what could happen to you, to him?"_

_"He won't join the youkai, he hates them. He's said so himself."_

_"And what if you join the miko, the same will happen! Kagome, pursuing a relationship with Inuyasha will ultimately ostracize you from the miko, and you know in a war you could never be accepted by the youkai. And the humans, you know what a relationship like this will look like. Do you want to be an outcast from all three sects of society? And for what, a summer fling, puppy love?"_

_"Is that what you think this is?" Kagome asked darkly, narrowing her eyes._

_"Kagome, I know you care for him. But you're still young, you don't understand love fully yet. True love, when you find it, is worth sacrificing everything for. But you're about to sacrifice so much for little more than a crush."_

_"So I can't pursue a relationship then? How about I just do what you did, join the army, kill a bunch of youkai and meet someone there?"_

_"You know that's exactly the opposite of what happened!" Ichiro roared. Kagome had crossed the line, now. She hadn't known her mother, but Ichiro had made sure Kagome knew the woman was virtuous and gentle._

_"Is it? Admit it, you want me to join up the army, take part in the war and kill youkai, just like she did, just like you did!" Kagome said. Ichiro's face fell._

_"Kill youkai…is that what you think I do? What your mother did?" he whispered._

_"Isn't it?"_

_"Kagome…" Ichiro sat down and closed his eyes. "It hasn't always been easy raising you alone. But I have always done my best to raise you to have morals, respect, dignity and honor. Never before today have I questioned my success, but now…I never thought to hear such a thing coming from you." Ichiro stood up. "Go, then, Kagome. Pursue the path you wish to take, I'll not stand in your way."_

_"Fine," Kagome nodded, grabbing her coat from the back of her chair and stepping towards the door. _

_"Kagome," Ichiro called, looking over his shoulder. Kagome stilled at the half-opened door. "Your mother and I fought side by side in battle many times, defending each other. Yes, we killed youkai. But it was never about killing, ever. And I'm sorry you think so. There are reasons to fight, Kagome, beyond duty and honor. There are greater values worth protecting. Sometimes, it's not about the greater good, the grand scheme of things. Sometimes, fighting is so much more personal then that. Some day, I hope you learn that for yourself."_

_"Whatever," Kagome muttered._

_"Some fights for honor. Some fight for duty. Some fight for glory," Ichiro recited, turning to look at his daughter. "When the time comes, Kagome, what will you fight for?"_

- - - - - - - - - -

_"I never did figure out what he meant by that," _Kagome thought, continuing the kata. _"Greater values? We're fighting a war as old as the miko bloodline itself, what cause could be greater than that?"_

Kagome finished the movements, and stilled, her heart pounding in her chest. Her father was the textbook military man, but while he was strict and stern to his comrades, she knew he showed her a gentle and warm side she imagined only her mother had seen before her. She had never questioned her father about why he fought the wars and battles he fought.

_"Come to think of it, I never did pay much attention to miko legends," _Kagome lowered her head. _"Why _are_ we fighting anyway? Just to exterminate the youkai? Aren't miko supposed to be generous and caring? What about these strange youkai that keep popping up?"_

"Maybe dad was right," Kagome whispered, closing her eyes. "What _am_ I fighting for anyway?" above her, Tsubaki turned from the balcony.

"I've been thinking," she said, walking to Kikyo's desk.

"Well that's disturbing," Kikyo muttered dryly.

"I'm serious. I think it's time we tell Kagome about the Order."

"What?" Kikyo said, looking up.

"If she's going to keep fighting them, it's only fair she know what they are," Tsubaki insisted. "Kikyo, you know I'm right. We can't hide this from her and keep expecting her to risk her life for reasons she doesn't fully understand." Kikyo thought for a moment.

"Alright," she said finally. "When she comes in, go get her. We'll tell her together."


	17. Chapter 17

Love Thy Enemy

**Mostly a filler chapter, so it's a bit shorter and a bit sucky-er. Next chapter we get back on track with the main plot.**

Chapter 17

"Your audience will be held now," the attendant said. Sesshomaru took a breath and stood up, steeling himself. He looked down at himself before entering. He had hung up his standard military uniform for his ancient, white kimono and boa. He hadn't really worn the thing in over three hundred years, but tradition dictated he be dressed in such a way when seeing the council.

Stepping away from the desk, Sesshomaru walked to the door that lead to the audience chamber of the youkai council. Two heavy-bound youkai stood guard, one a inu, the other, Sesshomaru was not sure. They looked him over and nodded, then stepped aside. The door to the room was pulled open, and Sesshomaru stepped inside. Behind him, the door slammed shut, leaving him immersed in darkness.

"Welcome, Sesshomaru," a soft, female voice whispered. Sesshomaru nodded. The youkai council, now and forever, was shrouded in secrecy. It had nine members, that much was known – one inu, two neko, one koumori, one ryu, one ookami, and on nezumi. Those were the known ranks of seven of the youkai council members. However, there was one more, the head of the council. Even their breed could not be discussed, and so the youkai council preserved such information with great care. Outside the council, their identities were concealed from all but the highest-ranking youkai. For the most part, the youkai populace, Sesshomaru included, had no idea who among them had a seat among the council. To keep that secrecy, the council's audience chamber was shrouded in darkness. Sesshomaru did not even know how large the room was.

"And what do you have to report?" A gruff, male voice asked.

"You summoned me, councilors," Sesshomaru said, confused by not willing to show it. "Perhaps you should tell me what it is I'm to report?"

"You will not speak to the council in such a way, inu!" a sharp, high voice, another male, snapped at him from the shadow. "You'd do well to remember what is your place and what is not! And it is not your place to question us!"

"Let him ask, there is no harm in answering," another male voice, this one light but firm. "We have summoned you because we've heard that you and your battalion have run afoul of the Order of the Three."

"Ah. Then I report yes, it is true," Sesshomaru said. "My battalion has made contact with them several times now."

"Any reason you suspect why?" This time it was a female voice, demanding and harsh.

"No, I do not have any idea why. Perhaps it is just coincidence."

"We will not hear your speculative lies!" the sharp voice again. "You will tell us, inu, all you have learned of them."

"As you wish," Sesshomaru said, annoyed. "The Order of the Three is indeed in operation, we've identified roughly half their official members. As expected, a number of lesser youkai have joined their cause, and we've reason to believe they have spies operating in the miko camp."

"And how have you come to these conclusions?" a new voice, deep and booming, certainly a male.

"Two of my soldiers, Inuyasha and Yuka, witnessed a meeting between a member of the Order and a miko. Several lesser youkai were present, under the Order's command. The conversation with them indicated the miko was not acting on the wishes of her superiors."

"You said you have identified members of the Order of the Three. Name them," the same voice ordered.

"Certainly, sir. As Rank Eighth, we have identified a man called Muso. He has been dispatched. At Rank Seventh, a flame youkai named Kagemusha, also dispatched. Rank Fifth is a woman named Abi, we identified her from humans who saw her engage a miko battalion. And Rank First, we know quite well, councilors, for it he is the same man now as he was when last we heard from the Order."

"Then you speak of Magatsuhi," the demanding female muttered. "Clearly the legends of his untimely demise were exaggerated."

"And what actions have you taken against the Order of the Three, inu?" the sharp voice.

"None, sir. In my opinion, there is no action to be taken. As ordered by you, we are awaiting further information about the Order, and will act against them is possible, when possible."

A disturbed rumble came through the chamber, and Sesshomaru caught faint whispers, even with his hearing. Finally, he was addressed again.

"Who told you this?" the booming male asked.

"Ambassador Amane Naraku, sir," Sesshomaru answered. Another rumble in the darkness.

"We issued no such orders, to you or Naraku," the gruff male said slowly. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. That couldn't be. Naraku had said that the council was looking for information, would they would relay to him when acquired.

"Forgive me for questioning, councilors, but are you certain? Naraku himself claimed you were researching the Order, and would pass the information along to me when you had found something."

"We have done no such thing!" the sharp, irritating male voice screeched. Sesshomaru winced as the voice grated his ears.

"We will investigate Naraku ourselves when we are able," the booming male cut off the other councilor. "For now, tell us what all else you know of the Order of the Three."

"As you wish. Naraku has currently told me very little that I've not already known. We know the Order appears to be seeking the three treasures that are the key to the imperial bloodline," Sesshomaru said.

"And what progress have they made in this?" another new voice, a soft female.

"We're not sure. We suspect, due to the conversation that Inuyasha and Yuka overheard, that they have already located at least one treasure. We believe another of the two remaining treasures may be a mirror of some sort."

"Anything else of importance?" the same voice asked.

"None, councilor. However, unless the council has any objections, I reserve the right to send my soldiers out to combat the Order if we receive any information leading to their location."

"The council currently has no objections to this, but things will change in the future," the booming male said. "Sesshomaru, we thank you for your report and for being forthcoming with the information we desired. You are free to return to your station and rank and continue operation with your battalion."

"Thank you, councilor," Sesshomaru bowed.

"However…" the councilor continued, "we also order that you keep records of what orders you are given by Amane Naraku. If he is abusing his authority as ambassador, we will know of it." Sesshomaru nodded.

"Of course. Naraku shall be watched with a close eye from now."

- - - - - - - - - -

Kagura looked up at a shadow fell over her desk, and she frowned slightly.

"O…oh, welcome back, sir," she said, confused. "Hadn't the council summoned you?"

"An error on the part of some silly clerk, it was another commander. But enough dwelling on such things. Send Inuyasha and Yuka to my office at once," Sesshomaru ordered, walking to the elevators.

"Ah, yes, of course, sir," Kagura nodded, picking up the phone.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Why does he wanna talk to us?" Inuyasha grumbled.

"I don't know," Yuka shrugged, leading the way down the hall to Sesshomaru's chambers. The neko pushed the door open for Inuyasha as she walked inside. Sesshomaru turned away from his window.

"Thank you for coming," he nodded. "We've little time, I'll be brief. We've received word of another transaction between the Order and the miko tonight."

"Where?" Yuka asked, her eyes lighting up.

"An abandoned factory complex a few miles to the south. I'm afraid we're a bit short of manpower at the moment, you two will have to handle it alone. That's not a problem I hope."

"We'll be fine, just have Totosai and the infirmary ready for us when we come back," Inuyasha mumbled, distracted. Something wasn't right here. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about Sesshomaru seemed…off.

"Good. It's late, you'll have to depart immediately. Go down to the garage, I'll call down and have a vehicle ready for you when you arrive," Sesshomaru said.

"Thank you sir," Yuka bowed and quickly left the room. Sesshomaru nodded and turned his attention to Inuyasha.

"You sure this info is valid?" Inuyasha asked.

"Of course, direct from Ambassador Naraku who learned it from the youkai council," Sesshomaru nodded.

"Right…see ya when we get back," Inuyasha said, turning to leave.

"Of course," Sesshomaru nodded again. "Be careful out there, I'd hate to see my little brother get killed in the line of duty." Inuyasha stopped and looked over his shoulder, a perplexed look on his face. Sesshomaru smiled. "Well? Yuka is waiting." Inuyasha gave him the perplexed look a moment longer, and closed the door as he left the office.

"Great, another member of the Order. By our rate of progression, we're on to Rank Sixth now, right?" Yuka asked, walking back to the elevators. Inuyasha clasped a hand to his mouth, thinking. "What is it?" Yuka asked stopping. Inuyasha looked up at her.

"Anything about that seem weird to you?"

"Not really, why?"

"Sesshomaru, he…he told me to be careful."

"You're his brother, that's natural."

"And he smiled at me."

"Maybe he's just in a good mood."

"Sesshomaru doesn't _have_ a good mood, he has bad mood and worse mood."

"You're making a big deal out of nothing," Yuka muttered, rolling her eyes and walking again. "So he expressed concern for you, why is that a bad thing? Be happy."

"And he smelled funny…" Inuyasha said under his breath, reluctantly following Yuka. He had smelled that non-Sesshomaru scent before…but where?

- - - - - - - - - -

Sesshomaru listened to the footsteps and muffled conversations in the hall, then reached down and picked up the phone on his desk. He dialed and waited.

_"Yes?" _the voice on the other end growled.

"They're on their way, they'll arrive tonight," Sesshomaru said.

_"Good. We'll kill them quickly."_

"There's been a change of plans, as well. I've arranged for that little miko wretch to be dispatched to the location as well."

_"Why her?"_

"She's been irritating to Sesshomaru and myself. I should think eliminating her would be a good thing. Besides, when she and Inuyasha are both found dead, creating a convincing cover-up will be much easier."

_"Point taken. No matter, she won't be a problem."_

"Good to hear," Sesshomaru said, looking at the clock on the desk. "I have to go, I'll contact you later this evening. I have one more thing to take care of, then I have to leave before the real thing returns."

Sesshomaru hung up, and sat down at his desk. He leaned over the computer and called up a search window. He typed, and a moment later several document titles popped up in the window.

"So, been keeping secrets, have we?" Sesshomaru chuckled, smirking. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small, silver object. "We'll have none of that." He slid the end of the object into the USB port of the computer, and began copying the documents onto the drive. Sesshomaru sat back as the documents copied, and a few moments later the download bar filled up and closed. Sesshomaru reached over and removed the USB drive from the computer and slipped it into his pocket.

"That about concludes it," he sighed, standing up. He froze, and thought for a moment. Golden eyes slid back down to look at the computer screen. "Better not. There'll be time to dispense with discretion later." Sesshomaru walked around his desk and left his office, whistling softly.


	18. Chapter 18

Love Thy Enemy

**It's a bit overdue and a bit shorter than other chapters, but I decided to cut this chapter short to give the climax of the scene the room it needs next chapter.**

Chapter 18

Night had fallen as Yuka stopped the jeep they'd been issued at the gates of the factory. Inuyasha stood up and looked over the area. It was a series of large, dark buildings, two were simple black, brick blocks. A second had a curved roof and two large doors, and the third was smaller with a staircase and balcony running alongside several small windows. Offices, likely.

"What do you think?" Inuyasha asked, looking at Yuka. Yuka scrunched her nose.

"I think it looks like an ambush waiting to happen," Yuka said, turning off the jeep and climbing out. High fences topped with barbed wire surrounded the entire complex. Yuka jumped up and cleared the fence by several feet, landing in a crouch inside. Inuyasha leapt and landed, clearing the fence by a smaller margin. He stumbled as he landed. Yuka rolled her eyes and looked over the complex.

"So," she said, drawing her katana from the scabbard on her back. "Now what?"

"I don't sense any youkai, or miko. You?" Inuyasha replied.

"Me neither, maybe we're early," Yuka said.

"Okay then, we do some recon, scope it out for when it's time," Inuyasha decided. "You take the west, I take the east. We circle around, check the buildings one by one, rendezvous at the northern fence. Move fast and silent, if we engage anyone, we call for help." Yuka gave him a sideways look, a small sliding across her lips. "What?" Inuyasha asked.

"Since when did you become such a cunning tactician?" she asked. Inuyasha drew the Tetsusaiga and balanced it on his shoulders before walking away.

"I had a good teacher," he called behind him. Yuka chuckled softly and turned, starting down the opposite direction as Inuyasha. Inuyasha began walking down the short end of one building, with a rounded roof. Two large sliding doors were at the end, and Inuyasha lifted a claw to finger a thick length of chain with a padlock binding the door handles together. He looked up to see the tops of the doors, and frowned. The chain and lock looked new…

- - - - - - - - - -

Yuka quietly turned the knob of the first door, and pushed it open. She snorted. Same as the last four – rows of storage crates. So far there was no sign of anyone else around the complex, or any signs that anyone had been there recently. Yuka sighed and looked up the stairs to the balcony running along the upper row of rooms. She trudged up it, her boots clanging on the metal, and looked down the balcony. Another long line of doors. From the higher vantage point, Yuka looked over the complex. There was no sign of Inuyasha, or anyone or anything else moving.

Yuka opened the first door. This one was different – an office. A really dull, bland, ordinary office. Two filing cabinets, a desk with a computer, three chairs and a corner table with a fax machine. Yuka moved on to the next door and pushed it open. Same as the first door, minus the table and fax machine. She moved on the third, and her ear twitched. Yuka's eyes darted down to the wood beneath her feet, and she thought for a moment. She sheathed her sword and back-flipped, her claws catching on the railing as she swung down to the first floor.

Her opponent spun and cried out as Yuka's boots slammed into her chest, sending her flying through the door behind her into a row of storage containers. Yuka let go of the railing and dropped down, drawing her sword again. She looked into the darkened room for any sign of movement. Surely, whoever it was, they couldn't be defeated so easily…

A crate few out the door, and Yuka jumped back at the unexpected attack. In the crate's wake, the enemy was on her feet and charging, sword in hand. Yuka stood and swung, catching the opponent's blade and deflecting it. The other hand came up, and Yuka ducked as a second blade whirled at her neck. She rolled away and leapt up as her opponent stepped back. The two blades in her hands clicked as she pressed the handles together. The combined dual-blade spun, and Yuka sniffed, a familiar burning smell coming from the woman.

"Miko," she hissed, twirling her sword and running forward. The miko spun around, blocking Yuka's strike with a backwards swing, then swinging forward and bringing up the other blade to attack. Yuka jumped back and immediately sprang forward, lifting her sword above her head. The miko rolled aside, and Yuka landed in a crouch. The miko flipped to her feet as Yuka charged her again, separating the dual-blades into two again. Yuka growled as her rapid attacks were blocked and deflected one by one. She swung, and the miko caught her sword between the twin blades.

"You fight well," she admitted, locking eyes with the miko.

"Well? I'm insulted," the miko shot back. The two pushed back, and the miko reconnected her blades before moving to strike again. Yuka drew back her arm and swung.

"Enough!"

Katana and dual-blade rung out as they slammed into either side of the Tetsusaiga, the fang vibrating with the force. Inuyasha gritted his teeth and spun, pushing both women back.

"Inuyasha?" the miko asked, confused.

"What are you doing here Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, turning towards her.

"_This_ is Kagome?" Yuka muttered, glaring at the woman in question.

"And who might you be?" Kagome shot back, returning the glare.

"I'm Yuka, his partner."

"Partner? Geez, you've really lowered your standards Inuyasha."

"Like I said, what are you doing here?" Inuyasha repeated. Kagome crossed her arms.

"That depends, why you here?"

"That's classified," Yuka said. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"We're here to intercept a transaction between the miko and the Order," he said. Yuka gave him a look of disbelief.

"Order of the Three?" Kagome asked.

"_You_ know of them?" Yuka replied.

"Yeah, some big to-do with the Emperor's bloodline. Funny thing…I'm here to intercept a trade between them and some youkai. Getting a sense of déjà vu, Inu-chan?"

"Yeah…" Inuyasha muttered. "But we haven't sensed any youkai presences here, so-"

Inuyasha was cut off as the facility sprang to life. Lights around the complex glared on, bathing the yard in white light. Inuyasha, Kagome and Yuka looked around to see hundreds of lesser youkai loom from the shadows, from the building doors and over the roofs.

"Like I said," Yuka growled, bristling.

"An ambush waiting to happen," Inuyasha nodded. The three backed up against each other as the lesser youkai leapt down to circle them.

"So what's the plan?" Yuka asked.

"Take them down fast and hard, works for me," Kagome replied.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Yuka snapped.

"Ya know, maybe you two can save it until after we're done here," Inuyasha muttered.

"Fine with me," Kagome said. "Just keep her out of my way."

"Same here," Yuka growled. One of the youkai surrounding them, a long serpent with blue skin, leapt towards her. Yuka leapt up and sliced her katana through its mouth, cleaving it apart. Like a signal, the other youkai attacked.

Inuyasha snarled and swung out the Tetsusaiga, cleaving apart an ogre diving towards him. He rolled underneath an outstretched claw and flipped to his feet, spinning and slicing the air around him.

Yuka punched and back-flipped, kicking her opponent backwards. She landed and lashed out her katana, cutting down another youkai. She felt something bump her back and looked over her shoulder to see a clump of wavy dark hair.

"Too many for you?" Kagome asked, cutting down youkai with the twin blades of the Naginata.

"I'm fine. How about you?" Yuka shot back. "I don't know too many miko who can fight properly." Kagome's eyes lit up.

"Oh yeah?" she snapped, clicking the Naginata blades into their combined form. "What this." Yuka watched as Kagome spun the combined blade up to rest against her shoulder. Suddenly, the blades glowed pink, and Kagome whipped her hand back. The Naginata twirled about her fingertips, the glowing blades slicing the air, unleashing crescent-shaped waves of purity power. Yuka's mouth fell open as the waves tore apart rows of youkai, purifying them in an instant.

"That's a new trick," Inuyasha said, emerging from the torrent of youkai parts several feet away.

"Thanks. You got anything new?" Kagome replied, going back to the battle. Yuka regained her composure and reached up to her hair. She reached into her ponytail and withdrew a flower bud from the strange.

"Not bad," she said, holding up the flower. It glowed and suddenly bloomed into a red rose, before Yuka threw it into the air. The flower glowed brightly and burst in the air, sending a flurry of flaming rose petals raining down.

"Well don't I feel left out," Inuyasha snarled, snapping the Tetsusaiga out and decapitating two youkai. "Not like we need such fancy attacks anyway. These wimpy youkai are all bark and no bite!"

"Yeah, but something's wrong about that," Kagome said, separating the Naginata blades again. "We were all sent here because of the Order, you'd think there'd be one of them here." As Kagome finished, the ground suddenly shook, and the three stumbled. The youkai surround them let out a shriek, and shrank back.

"What the hell was that?" Yuka whispered, watching the youkai retreat. There was a loud, metallic clang, and three heads whirl around. Against the far, long building, the gigantic set of double doors had a huge dent in them. Suddenly, another dent appeared, the side of a person. Inuyasha backed up in line with Yuka and Kagome as there was a third dent, and with a loud creak, the doors suddenly came off their settings and fell forward onto the ground.

From the shadows of the building stepped a vaguely humanoid creature. It towered over the three, taller than the building itself as it hunched as it stepped from the doorway. Its torso was bare and muscular, and a kilt-like blue and purple cloth hanging to its knees covered its legs and hips. A large, spiked gray shell covered its right shoulder and upper arm, and it had shoulder length lavender hair and deep purple eyes.

"You were saying?" Inuyasha muttered. The creature looked down at him as it stood up to its full height.

"Are you the one called Inuyasha?" it growled.

"Yeah, that's me. And I'll bet your Rank Sixth, right?"

"Sixth?!" The creature roared and swung a massive hand down to grab Inuyasha, hauling him up to eye level. "You've dealt me an insult you can't understand, hanyou wretch," the creature said. "I am Moryomaru. And I'll have you know I am Rank Second within the sacred Order of the Three. Succeeded in power by none, save for Lord Magatsuhi himself!"

"Rank Second?" Inuyasha choked out from Moryomaru's grip.

"Great, we pissed them off," Yuka muttered.


End file.
